Redeem, Restore
by Matilda384
Summary: Draco seeks any chance to redeem himself in his own mind or he'll go insane - and Astoria comes at the perfect time for this. But will he succeed in bringing out his good, or will he only be making things worse for others in his attempts? Please enjoy this.
1. Chapter 1

**Thank you very much for selecting to read this! I've been thinking about the idea for a long time. I suppose it doesn't really follow the original Harry Potter series, but I hope it comes pretty close. I apologize if this chapter is a bit vague and rushed - I plan to detail and explain everything in the later parts. Please enjoy this and leave any critiques if you have them! :)**

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Draco kicked the door of Malfoy Manor open after he struggled to twist the handle by using the only free part of his arm—his elbow. Urgently, he swept inside. "Mother!" he shouted in panic. "Mother! Please!" Soft footsteps pattered quickly down the grand staircase, bringing the beautiful figure of Narcissa Malfoy into his view. Draco shoved the front door closed and ran as fast as he could towards her. Concern clouded her eyes as she looked upon her young man of a son; he was holding something oddly shaped and concealed by a cloak in his arms. Draco was crying. He wasn't sobbing like after waking from a nightmare, but there were definitely remnants of tears on his cheeks as he looked up at her. "_Help me, Mummy…_" he whimpered. Narcissa felt an icy blast hit her. He hadn't called her 'mummy' since he was five years old. Hesitantly (and still stuck in this realization), Narcissa nodded. She followed her son over to the sitting room sofas.

Draco placed his bundle gingerly down onto one of the plush chairs, taking extra care of the top by slipping a pillow under it. Narcissa knew better than to speak before being spoken to; yet her curiosity was piqued. "Draco…?" she began. But she gasped when he pulled back the top of the cloak.

A young woman's pale face shone, cuts and dirt marring her cheeks.

Draco glanced nervously at his mother. His heart was beating rapidly, his breathing ragged. "I found her. She was on the streets of Diagon Alley. Sick. So sick. She called for someone to save her in complete agony—she said she felt like she was dying. Help me, Mother. Oh, please help me. I think I know what caused this. I can't…I can't…leave her…not after what I've—" but Draco couldn't finish as another great sob caught in his throat. Narcissa nodded slowly. She understood that her son was having trouble recently accepting the things he'd done, the mistakes he'd made. He needed to let go. But he always felt the necessity to redeem himself—this was clearly what he thought to be his perfect opportunity. "We'll take her up to a guest room," Narcissa murmured, calculating and thinking. "Once she's settled I'll call for a Mediwizard. After that…well, we'll see what they say. But she will stay here until cleared."

"W-What will Father say?"

"…He's upstairs in his study. For the time being, I feel he doesn't need to know specifics."

"But Mother, won't he be upset—"

"I'm past worry about what he'll say or think. I'm making this decision on my own. I can do that. I don't need…I don't require constant supervision as if I were a fragile porcelain doll."

Draco was a little shocked at his mother's newfound confidence. She was never one to question the head-of-house, nor do anything that would normally cause his father's eyebrows to raise. She no longer seemed to care. Draco's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the girl on the sofa let out a soft yet strangled moan. "Mummy…!" he whispered desperately in fear. Narcissa called for a house-elf while Draco carried the fragile being upstairs to one of the comfortable guest rooms.

The wait seemed to take hours. Draco paced up and down the hallway, glancing at the closed door repeatedly. Narcissa appeared to be patiently waiting like a statue. But she too was eager to hear the prognosis. After a few minutes, the short Mediwizard bobbled out of the room, his frizzy white haired-head hung low. He sighed. "She's going to be alright for now," he concluded. Draco felt his heart hurting with guilt. "But it won't last. I'm afraid…she's been cursed with an incurable illness. By Dark magic."

"Dark magic? But all of that has been banished, defeated—whatever! Gone!"

"I believe that this was placed upon her before the War ended. I believe she's been suffering for a very long time."

"W-Was it an Unforgivable Curse?" Draco stammered.

"There's no way of telling. All I can detect is a debilitating disease, not contracted, but rather _forced upon_ her by magic. I don't know if it was direct or indirect. There's nothing…er…I can't _do_ anything about it."

"What do you mean you can't? There has to be something!" Draco was shouting now, not bothering to recognize that tears were flowing endlessly down his cheeks—Malfoys never showed emotional weakness.

"I'm sorry, young Mr. Malfoy. If a person is cursed, injured, or harmed by Dark magic, there isn't a cure. Whether they lost a limb or their life, no one can regenerate or cure it. I'm sorry."

"What are we expected to do with such a lost cause, then?"

"Well, the best thing to do is tend to her—keep her alive. The more comfort and care she receives, the less this sickness will affect her. Another important piece of advice: talk to her. Let her know that she's being loved and that she's safe. Let her tell you if something hurts or when the sickness is making her uncomfortable. If you and your family follow these procedures, we may be able to keep the illness at bay for a least a while longer."

"W-What if she gets worse?"

"Strenuous activity will weaken her, thus making her more vulnerable to falling farther into the stages of this curse or disease or whatever you may call it. Other things too will put stress on her body—sudden movement, excitement/intense emotion, pregnancy, further illness, etc. Be sure to take good care of her. You can always call for me if the need arises."

"Sir?"

"Yes, young Mr. Malfoy?"

"…What is her name?"

The Mediwizard stared at Draco for a moment as if debating whether or not he should vocalize this assumption. "I knew her family. But they're all long gone now—they fled the country after the War. Either they assumed she was dead—you did find her in an old alleyway, yes?—or they agreed to leave everything behind, including her. I don't know. But the Greengrass family has always held high respect in the Pureblood race. This is the youngest of them. Her name is Astoria."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to everyone who is reading this and a big gratitude shout-out to those who reviewed! I find your feedback so helpful and encouraging. Just a note: I will be listening to and following through with everyone's suggestions, but they might be not present right away because I have to fit them into the storyline properly. Again, thank you all so much for continuing on with this story! You all are awesome! :)**

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It was hard to sleep that night. Before leaving, the Mediwizard had advised letting Astoria rest for a good amount of time so that her body could attempt to naturally repair itself a bit. Narcissa could see just how visibly upset and shattered Draco was. She gently tugged his thin wrist along with her into the library, sitting him down in a soft chair across from her. "Love," she whispered. "Can you tell me what's the matter?"

"I just…I-I…I can't let her die. I don't even know this girl, I don't know who she is at all, and yet if she ever stopped breathing or died I would feel entirely guilty because of the…_thing_ that brought this upon her." Draco shuddered.

"Darling, it wasn't you that cursed her. You didn't use Dark magic on her."

"I know, but someone did. Someone that _I_ was once associated with, even if it was against my will. I was…I was one of them…"

"Shhh….that's all over now. It's all done. No one sees you responsible for anything—they know you were just a boy. Just a child. Draco, it's alright. Everything will be alright. When she wakes, we'll bring her some soup and talk to her."

"And…Father…?"

"Don't you fret about him, love. If he questions this or argues, I'll tell him what for. I'm tired of him controlling my life and yours. We are good people, Draco. You and I are good. We can do the good things we want, like taking care of this Astoria, even if he disagrees. Good wins."

Draco looked at his mother through watery eyes. She opened up her arms wide, welcoming him to crawl into them and onto her lap like he did as a small child. Although he'd gotten taller, he still weighed nothing. Narcissa rocked him gently, smiling against his soft hair. "We're good, darling." she repeated. Draco murmured something unintelligible, but she just let it go without asking him to clarify. They stayed huddled together until well past midnight. "I'd best go make sure your father is in bed by now. Sometimes now he just forgets the time and keeps working endlessly. You should get to bed too now, love. I'll see you in the morning, sleep well." Narcissa said, kissing the top of his silky hair. Draco bid her goodnight as well. The two parted ways at the exit of the library, destined to separate wings of the mansion.

Draco dressed himself in his pajamas, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and climbed into bed. He lay awake for what seemed like hours. Guilt continuously crept into his heart at the very thought of anything happening to this Astoria girl. He wasn't even sure why he felt this way, but he knew that should anything happen, he simply wouldn't be able to forget its connection to Dark magic—and ultimately his past experiences with it. Without even feeling anything, Draco climbed out of bed. He didn't even bother with slippers or a robe. He moved swiftly out of his room and down the hall. A sudden glimpse of a moving shadow halted him immediately—he was not allowed to be out of bed after his parents sent him, even if he was almost twenty years old. Getting caught meant serious consequences. A small house-elf with wide eyes stepped in front of him. "Master Draco?" she squeaked. "What is you doing outside of bedchambers at this hours of the night, Master Draco?" Draco's eyes darted everywhere. He didn't want to lie to her (he was tired of lying for so long), but he knew that she'd immediately run to his parents and send them after him. "Er—I'm…listen, you don't say a word about this, alright? Not a word! Understand me? You don't tell my parents, you don't tell the other elves, you don't even tell the _sofa_ that you've seen me here tonight! Got it?" he hissed. After being unable to find a loophole in this order, the house-elf nodded, saying, "Kirry promises to never says a word about seeing Master Draco outside of his bedchambers at such an hours of the night to anyone, even Master and Mistress who could be being much upset at Master Draco's behavioring." Draco blinked a moment, making sure she'd repeated everything without error. He nodded. "Good. Now…go back to your nest." The house-elf bowed low. "Yeses, Master Draco, sir. Sleep well or whatever else you mays be doing out of bedchambers at such an hours of the night…"

Draco slipped silently down the hall, stopping at a guest room concealed by a shut door. This was Astoria's room. He quietly turned the handle, creeping inside the dimly lit room. The ill girl lay motionless in bed. Draco's breath caught. She almost looked…no, he wouldn't think of that. She couldn't be. She had been checked over, it wasn't possible. Yet. Moving closer to the bed, Draco realized that she was indeed breathing, but with some difficulty. The cuts had been healed over, the dirt removed by a freshening charm. She was shivering violently. Draco bent down to pull the covers up closer around her shoulders (for good measure, of course). Suddenly, her eyes shot open and her plae bony hand was clenched tightly around his wrist. Both froze like that. "D-Don't be afraid…" Draco murmured, unsure of what to say to the look in those eyes. "I was only…I wanted to…you looked cold…" he decided. Astoria watched him even more closely. The blonde boy sighed, straightening to pull away.

But she didn't let go.

Turning his face to look at her, he noticed that her eyes bad softened from their wild fear into a more pleading gaze. He wasn't sure what to say to her. It hadn't been in his plan of visitation this night to have her actually _wake up_—he'd only wanted to check in on her; make sure she was alright, appease his own guilt. "Er—may I…have my arm back please?" he stammered, kicking himself mentally for saying something so insensitive and stupid. Astoria held fast, shaking her head. "Y-You're…_warm_…" she whispered in a shivering breath. Draco nodded, understanding why she was so intent on touching his skin. He pulled his wand out of his pajama waistband. When she retracted a bit in fear, he hushed her softly, promising he wouldn't cause her pain. He gently waved his wand up and back over the comforter twice as he thought an incantation in his head.

Immediately, Astoria's grip on his wrist slackened. He'd placed a heating charm on her blankets that would last throughout the night and into the morning so that she could be comfortable and maybe catch some more rest. Sighing as she relaxed against the pillows again, Draco noticed that she had been dressed into one of his mother's nightgowns—he couldn't help but entertain the thought of how pretty she looked like this. He shook the thought out of his head. How could he be looking at her like that? His father barely even knew she existed in his house! How would he possibly allow for Draco to go for looks only? But that familiar voice of Narcissa's wormed its way back into his conscience—the one that reminded him that Lucius didn't have to think for all of them now, that they had choices of their own. Astoria opened her eyes after stretching nicely and gazed at Draco. "T-Thank you…" she whispered. Draco smiled a lopsided and clumsy smile that couldn't be helped. "Anything," he replied, hoping she'd understand to call for him if she ever needed something. She settled deep under the blankets and turned onto her side to fall asleep again. Draco silently crept out of the room.

As he lay in bed again, he felt slightly less disturbed now that he'd seen that he could ease Astoria's suffering, even if temporarily. It reassured him that he was useful (to her, mainly) and could help someone restore themselves to fair, even good, health. He sighed contentedly. Perhaps he could redeem himself by doing the opposite of what the Dark magic had done to Astoria.


	3. Chapter 3

**A big thank you to every single one of my readers! Let me know if anything is wrong or seems weird or needs improvement and stuff :) please enjoy this chapter!**

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Draco sat across from his parents at breakfast that next morning. This wasn't a common occurrence—usually he went for days without seeing his father around. He suspected that Narcissa made it this way on purpose; Lucius would just always scowl or mutter something about Draco being a disappointment nowadays. As she politely (and perfectly) sipped her tea in silence, her husband read the newspaper and her son ate some porridge with as little noise as possible. Several minutes passed. Finally, Narcissa set her teacup down, the soft clink being the only sound reverberating through the spacious dining room. "We have a guest staying with us, Lucius." she said rather abruptly. Draco took a big mouthful of porridge (which he was sure that if his father saw, he would be scolded) to avoid being brought into the conversation. Lucius lowered the newspaper a bit to look at her. "When will they arrive?" he asked shortly. His past stay in Azakaban, his family's fall from grace, and the overall disappointment in the way things turned out left Lucius in a permanently disgruntled mood. Narcissa straightened almost imperceptibly. "She arrived last night, and in terrible condition. I have her staying in the east wing—a bit down the hall from Draco."

"How nice. Thank you for telling me in advance, dear wife." he snarled.

"I already told you that she was in horrifying condition, Lucius. I wasn't about to turn her away with nothing."

"How, may I ask, did she make it here, then?"

"…Draco was in Diagon Alley and found her lying on the ground."

Lucius's dull gray eyes turned sharply to his son. Draco shuddered a bit, knowing that they bore the word "traitor" straight into his soul. It was a common name for him now from his father. It hurt, but Narcissa prevented it from being used most of the time. She put her hands on the table calmly. "Now Lucius, don't be angry with him. He did the right thing. The _good_ thing. It's impossible to just leave a poor sick girl to die in the streets, without a single person to attempt to help her—"

"Who is she?"

"The mediwizard identified her as Astoria Greengrass, a pureblood witch—"

"And you let her stay in my house only knowing her _name?!_" Lucius roared as he leapt up from the table to tower over his wife. Narcissa remained perfectly still. "…It was the right thing to—"

"Don't you tell me about right and wrong! _I_ am the master of this house, _I_ am your husband, and _I_ have the ultimate say in decisions around here!" he screamed, red in the face. Draco could tell he was near exploding with rage. Narcissa remained calm though. She stared his hard in the face, unafraid. Draco, however, was quivering noticeably—he could never handle himself when his father yelled like that. She never removed her eyes from Lucius's. "Draco," she whispered. "Go check on Astoria, please."

"No. I'm not a child, I can stand up to—"

"Draco, do as I say!"

"But Mother, I would—"

"_GO!_"

Her tone was desperate, but she concealed it as an order. He didn't want to leave her alone with his father when he was in such a temper—he would rather have stayed in case the man finally snapped. But squeaking out a small, "Yes, Mother…" he departed from the dining room, bolting to the staircase as soon as he was out of view. Immediately, shouting started. Lucius and Narcissa yelled over one another in an attempt to have their arguments heard. Draco cringed as he slowly ascended the large staircase. For all nearly twenty years of his life, there had been fighting between his parents. He knew that not every family was perfect; what drove him particularly mad though was the fact that there would be all this screaming in the house, but outside they played a perfect family. All he wanted to do was shout to the world that his life was far from anything glorious, that his father was too dominant over the rest of them, that staying at home after leaving Hogwarts was nothing but torture. Tears burned Draco's eyes at these thoughts. He just wanted someone to tell, someone to understand…

As he paused in front of Astoria's door, a fleeting reminder that she was bound to do nothing but listen to him passed through his mind. His fingers trembled on the doorknob. Did he really want to do this? It would be incredibly weak of him just crawling to anyone and unloading all of his internal problems. He decided that he'd know if it was right or not once he went in to actually do as his mother ordered.

The room was still and silent when he walked in again. Astoria was still lying in bed, her back to him. He could hear her wheezy, gasping breath from all the way across the room. Stepping over to her bed, he took a good look at her in the fresh breaking daylight.

Astoria's skin was creamy pale, almost devoid of color like his. Her hair was a rich brown color—the way it twisted and hung limply indicated to Draco that the curls probably would've been tighter and more bouncy, had she not been so sick. She had long, dark eyelashes that fluttered every now and then in her sleep. Her lips were a more pale pink color. The way she tucked one hand under her pillow as she slept—exactly as Draco did—and how her slim shoulder rose and fell with every raspy breath made his mouth twitch into a fleeting smile. She just looked so…pretty? No. He hadn't thought a girl was pretty since he'd dated Pansy Parkinson back at school. And besides, that was just Pansy—he felt obligated to date her because of her blood status, family wealth, and potential inheritance. This girl, this Astoria, was _beautiful_. She didn't have a permanent sneer on her cheeks like Pansy; instead, it was a soft gentleness of understanding. Her nose was gracefully sloping instead of pointed. Even though he couldn't see her eyes, he could tell that they would probably look warm and welcoming as opposed to the Parkinson-icy he had to grow accustomed to.

Draco was disturbed in his reflections on Astoria when she turned over to lie on her back. The light green blankets sank a little lower due to her movements, covering just a bit above her waist. The flowing nightgown his mother had dressed her in only added to her angelic splendor—she just appeared so heavenly in his life of hell. Without warning, her eyes fluttered open. She gasped when she saw Draco standing there, hastily sitting up and yanking the blankets up to her chin again in utter surprise. Draco jumped too—he hadn't meant to scare her. "I-I'm…er…I'm really sorry. I was just…just checking on you and…I…er…you…I'm really sorry." he stumbled through his words, his face burning in embarrassment. Astoria watched him wordlessly, trying to catch her breath through clearly damaged windpipes. He glanced up quickly. Ah. Her eyes were blue. Draco found himself trying to suppress a smile again at this realization; she was just too pretty.

Astoria looked like she wanted to say something, but cast her eyes downward. Draco took a step nearer so that she would understand that he wanted to chat a bit. But as soon as he moved just a bit closer to her bed, she shrank back, pulling her blankets closer. So that was it. She was afraid of him. But why? Draco thought of everything he could. Oh no. _Ohhhh_ no. His practice of Dark magic….she feared him because he had once been associated with Dark magic—the same type that had made her so sick and debilitated. And she knew his family had been too. Draco hesitated before speaking. "Please," he murmured, not able to speak her name yet. A lump had come to his throat. "I'm not going to hurt you…I'm not…_bad_…" Astoria looked away. "W-Where's…my family?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.

"Your family? I…we're not sure. I can tell my parents to search for them. Once they find out where they are we can—"

"P-Please don't hurt them…"

"…Hurt them? I wouldn't allow for anything like that to…Astoria, things aren't like that anymore. I don't know how long you've been ill, but the war is over. V-Voldemort is gone. No more followers, nothing. It's…My family switched sides at the end. At least Mother and I did. Father just did to escape imprisonment but he's coming to terms with the loss now, I believe—oh look at me. I'm rambling. Sorry."

"…It's…it's alright. I-I like hearing you talk."

Draco's heart leapt at this. He wasn't sure why, but he knew that it gave him a flicker of hope inside that he had been devoid of for the past several years. He made another move to get closer. This time, Astoria didn't pull back; she just watched carefully. "So, I think it's best if everything stays behind in the past with all that. Don't you agree?" he asked, feeling a little more like his old cocky self from his schooldays. She nodded obediently. "Tell me about yourself," he went on. Suddenly, he realized that he was probably sounding too demanding (and too much like his father), so he blushed and added hastily, "If you feel up to it, of course." Astoria nodded slowly, leaning back against the pillows with difficulty. "I have an older sister who went to Hogwarts with me, but we didn't live in the same Houses." she began softly. Draco cocked his head. "You went to Hogwarts?"

"I'm no Squib, Draco Malfoy." she said pointedly, offering a wink and a weak smile. Something made his heart flutter even more—he would've said something just as similar! Literally for the first time in years, Draco grinned. It wasn't a polite smile, or faked, but a real genuine one that had gone into hiding for all this time of misery. He was at a loss for words. Thankfully, Astoria just continued. "She was older than me too. Our family was split—she was a Slytherin and I was a Hufflepuff."

"She was a Slytherin?" Draco exclaimed, feeling more alive than ever before.

"Oh yes. She was quite the smart girl, always…_ow_…on top of things. The Sorting Hat differentiated me by deeming me more 'caring and empathetic'. W-While she focused on her grades, I made a lot of friends."

"Was she in my year?"

"Actually…_ah_…she was. She talked about you sometimes. I'm two years y-younger, though."

"What would she say about me?"

But Astoria's face had whitened even more. She seemed to be in a lot of pain around her chest, because he frail hands reached up to touch her collarbone. "It's alright, you don't have to speak anymore. Just rest. Relax." he advised gently. After a moment of catching her breath, Astoria shook her head. "I-I want to keep talking," she whispered almost inaudibly.

"You do? Why? If you're in pain you—"

"I-I like talking to you,"

"...Oh…alright…if you feel up to it, though…"

"…My s-sister, Daphne, t-told me that you were incre…incredibly smart. She said that in your last few years though…you seemed very distant and s-sad. She wanted t-to help you, but…she didn't w-want to interfere."

Astoria was visibly shivering now from the iciness that only affected her. Draco leaned down and pulled the blankets closer to her shoulders, feeling confident and then very embarrassed simultaneously at the fact that he let one of his hands trail down her beautiful shoulder and push a limp chestnut curl away. Astoria blushed. He took it as a good sign. Without even really thinking about it, he sat down on the bed beside her. His careful wand swoops cast another heating charm through the sheets. When she shuddered from the contact of sudden warmth, Draco felt a chill of his own shoot up his spine. She looked _good_ when she did that. He blushed fiercely at his thoughts. "Is there anything else I can do for you?" he asked quickly. Astoria let out a wheezy giggle. "You can keep me c-company here so I'm not all alone." she teased.

"You have a very odd sense of humor. But I really like it. It makes me comfortable yet alert all the time. You're…unique."

"Well, t-thank you. There's a lot I...like about you too."

Draco's heart skipped a beat again. He just felt so incredibly happy all at once—it was almost as if he'd forgotten the idea of bliss throughout all the difficult years. After their shared chuckle, Draco gazed into her eyes. He made a decision; he wouldn't talk about his feelings on his family with her right away. She kept the mood too light and too happy for him to go dragging it down. "Astoria," he whispered. The name felt good in his mouth to say. "I'm going to find your family for you. And we'll bring them here so you can finally see them again—everything will be great. I promise I'll do that for you, Astoria. Do you like that idea?" She paused for a moment, thinking this large promise over. "I think it's…_ow_…a l-lovely idea. But…just make sure they can get here before I…d-die."

Even though it seemed like a pitiful thing to say, Draco could sense the honesty and force of Astoria's request. She really believed that she would die soon. It further ignited the flame inside of him to do something—to save her—and fix everything about his past with the future. He nodded to her, murmuring a promise. She thanked him quietly between violent coughs.

Suddenly, a loud crash sounded from the downstairs dining room as the shouting commenced. Either Narcissa or Lucius had gotten so upset that they threw a teacup. Astoria looked up instantly at Draco. He turned red as he battled in his mind for words to formulate an excuse. "C-Clumsy house-elves," he muttered quickly. "Always dropping things everywhere." He tried to give a little laugh, but it sounded funny. Astoria obviously caught it. She gave him a sad smile and an understanding nod. He cleared his throat. "It's been a pleasure speaking with you, Miss Greengrass." Draco said as he stood up, seeking to lighten the mood again. He took her hand. She blushed like mad. "The pleasure is all mine, Master Mal—Master Draco." she replied. She obviously didn't feel comfortable speaking the name 'Malfoy'. Draco smiled at her, bent down, and planted a gentle kiss on her hand respectfully. Astoria giggled a bit. He placed it softly onto her lap again and turned to leave.


	4. Chapter 4

**I think this chapter really begins to move things along. I hope you're enjoying this so far! Thank you very much for your feedback!**

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Several weeks of having Astoria shut away in one of the guest rooms at Malfoy Manor passed by, all the while bringing her and Draco closer and closer. He talked to her every day for sometimes longer than a few hours. They'd grown a liking for each other, although neither expressed it because Astoria was rather shy and Draco knew his father simply would not have it—this girl was a Hufflepuff; for generations, Malfoys courted Slytherins _only_. He hadn't kissed her yet, nor told her about his thoughts and feelings. But that never stopped them from just enjoying each other's company.

Draco sat at his desk in his room, head in his hands. From downstairs, all he could hear was fighting—his parents were arguing once again. He was over crying, over feeling sad. He was just devoid of emotion every time he heard Lucius accusing Narcissa of being 'up to something' or when she would attempt to bring down his upstanding rules….it was just all the same now. A knock at the bedroom door pulled Draco out of his reverie. "Come in," he said, having to clear his throat because his voice had become hoarse. He felt a little under-the-weather that day. Kirry the house-elf stepped in nervously. "Master Draco, sir." She bowed low. "Kirry and the other house-elves is almost finished preparing lunches, sir. Kirry has been being sended to tells Master Draco that lunches will be being served in the dining room in time short." she informed. Draco nodded. His throat was a bit sore. "Thank you," he croaked. Kirry turned towards the door again. "Is there anything else Kirry can get for Master Draco? Perhaps something to maybe being cure the ouch in Master Draco's neck maybe?" she asked. Draco paused for a moment—he'd just gotten an idea. "Actually Kirry," he said. "Do you think you could bring my plate of lunch to Astoria's room? I'll be eating it there with her."

"Kirry will be do whatever it is Master Draco asks of her. But will Kirry should bring something for girl as well? Mistress informed Kirry not to be give her big meals—only soup. Is Kirry to be bringing soup too, Master Draco?"

"Yes, of course. I don't want to make her hungry. Bring her some soup, that's a good idea."

"And what should Kirry be to tell Master and Mistress about Master Draco's absence from lunches?"

Draco cringed when he heard his father shouting a rather crude set of swears. "…You won't need to tell them anything. I'm not sure they'd notice." he said a little sadly. Kirry bowed again. "Yeses, Master Draco sir." she softly replied, bowing before leaving the room. Draco waited for a bit to be sure she'd already made her way downstairs. He then slipped out of his room and hurried down the hall a short ways to get to his new friend's chambers.

Upon entering, Draco felt a stunning weight placed upon him at the darkness of the room. Narcissa always kept the curtains drawn for Astoria because she feared the sunlight would strain her eyes or make her too warm. As for Draco, who'd taken a liking now to natural light, he wondered if this darkness was actually helping (or preserving) Astoria. The dark-haired girl pushed herself up onto her pillows weakly. "Draco," she whispered hoarsely. He smiled at the mere sight of her. She'd clearly just woken from a nap, yet her hair still slipped off her shoulders silkily as if undisturbed. Narcissa had taken the time to just order Astoria a set of her own nightgowns so that she didn't have to feel uncomfortable using another woman's all the time. The one she was currently wearing was pastel pink, with ruffles on the sleeves and collar. "Hello," he greeted, his mouth suddenly feeling very dry. She only gave her characteristic weak smile. Draco paused for a few seconds, walking slowly towards the bed and thinking of how to explain his plans to her. "I had an idea that maybe we could—" but before he could speak another word, Kirry opened the door—balancing a plate of food on her head, silverware and napkins in one hand, a pitcher dangling off her pinky, a bowl of soup in the other hand, and two empty cups rattling on the tip of her long pointy nose. Astoria let out a little gasp at the sight, but ended up coughing harshly at the shar intake of air into her fragile lungs. The elf arranged everything on the bedside table as Draco hurried to Astoria and rubbed her back to ease the cough. Once lunch was arranged and the girl's pneumatic attack subsided, Kirry bowed low to them and left the room wordlessly.

Astoria looked over everything that was set on the bedside table, asking Draco with her eyes what this was for. He sighed. "Well, I wasn't going to surprise you, but apparently Kirry did so anyway. I thought that maybe we could have lunch together today. Usually I'm required to dine with my parents, but I find your company to be more…comfortable. Will you have me?" he explained. Astoria's weak smile grew, supported by some new internal strength of possibly renewed hope or…love? No, Draco couldn't think that yet. No. She nodded, taking in a slow and careful breath. "I'd adore that," she whispered. Draco smiled, seating himself in a chair and pulling it nearer to her bedside. He helped her prop up the pillows so she could lean as she ate. Astoria couldn't seem to stop smiling. She let Draco talk most of the time, mainly due to the fact that she had very little stamina (and vocal ability), but contributed to their conversations.

Draco felt much more at ease relaxing in the soft chair, crossing one leg over the other, laughing while eating, and not having to wait to speak until spoken to—he knew that if he dined downstairs with his parents, he'd have to sit straight-backed with perfect posture, take small bites, listen to boring silence as his parents refused to speak to each other, or accept scathing glances from his father. Astoria was a much better audience. He got to tell stories. He giggled joyfully instead of offering a polite laugh. And she seemed to feel more alert than she had in days due to this release of happy emotions and company. He completely forgot about his sore throat and drowsiness - it felt like this one event had cured him of all pain. Draco finished the salad that was on his plate, leaning back against the armchair in satisfaction. Astoria put her bowl onto the bedside table as well. Feeling a little like his old cocky, flirty self, Draco smirked and bent towards her. "Now now," he teased. "Let me see if you've finished all of your soup like a good girl." Astoria blushed and looked away, smiling the whole time. Draco took the bowl into his hands. It wasn't entirely empty.

He switched over to sit on the bed right beside her. Astoria was blushing like mad, but seemed to be enjoying this. He used the spoon to scoop up some of the broth, holding it up to those petal-pink lips. She opened her big eyes to look up at him innocently. Were they always that sparkly? Draco had to prevent his confidence from faltering, so he had to move hastily. He pressed the metal of the spoon towards her. "Be a good girl," he murmured. Astoria opened her mouth and allowed for Draco to put the spoon in, feeding her like a child. When he removed it, his head practically swooned from all the anticipation and adrenaline that had pushed him to do something so bold. She looked up at him adoringly, a small smile playing delicately on her cheeks. That was it. He couldn't resist it anymore. This one simple flirtation had inflationary effects on his confidence—he felt like a young boy courting his first girl, Parkinson, back at Hogwarts in the common room, when there was no Father there to stress the dangers of inter-House relationships or remind him that every Malfoy had always been attracted to those in their own House. He felt like it was just simply _easy_ again…

So Draco Malfoy, a Slytherin, leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on the lips of Astoria Greengrass, a Hufflepuff.

He intended to make it last longer, but after about six seconds, his confidence cracked when his analytical brain registered his actions, and he forced himself to break the kiss. Hovering near her face for just a few more moments, he took in her stunning beauty on a nearer-proximity scale. Not a single flaw. His heart pounded against his ribcage as he pulled back so that he was sitting on the bed again and she was lying back against the pillows. Draco felt his hands shaking, so he looked away from the beautiful girl in order to stall the impending conversation about most recent events between them. Several minutes of silence passed.

Draco decided that he regretted his act-on-impulse maneuver to kiss Astoria Greengrass. He'd done something so irrational, so…Gryffindor…without even asking permission first or thinking about the consequences. What was he thinking? Maybe his father was right—maybe he was letting all of these inter-House relationship ideas corrupt him. How could he have been so stupid? And how was he going to explain this if Astoria ever decided to tell? "Draco…" a faint whisper breathed. He sighed deeply. "I'm sorry, Astoria. I wasn't thinking and it was wrong of me to do without your permission. If you never want—"

"I feel alive,"

Freezing instantly, he thought he'd beard her wrong. He slowly turned to look at her. "W-What?" he asked, realizing that this was an improper and rather informal way of asking her to repeat—what was _wrong_ with him? But she was smiling slightly. "I feel alive." she said. "All this time, I didn't…really know how lonely I-I was. But when I'm with you…when you…kiss me…I see how it feels to be f-free."

"Free?"

"In a way I d-don't have to think about this…disease. Or my family and why they won't come looking for me. Or that we come from totally different Houses and backgrounds. Y-You just make me feel like…none of that even matters."

"I-I…I'm glad I can…you…er…"

"My sister was right about you. You are very…romantic."

"Your sister said that?"

"She w-was friends with Pansy. And Pansy told her all about you and your endeavors with her."

"Oh God no…."

"No, not all that deep stuff. Just about your ideas for dates and t-the notes you'd leave her in her schoolbooks using vanishing ink." Astoria laughed.

"So Pansy told her, and she told you? My, my. How girls talk." he teased with a wink.

"Don't worry, Draco." Astoria murmured as she pushed herself off the pillows so that she was fully sitting up beside him (which was quite an accomplishment for the frail girl). She put her hands on his shoulder and leaned towards him. "I'm a good girl," she finished.

Draco felt all the blood rush to his cheeks. Astoria giggled playfully, instantly lightening the mood. He felt a little better after hearing her become less strained and a bit more, as she said, alive. The happy mood was broken shortly though, because Narcissa stormed down the hallway on the other side of the door, shouting, "_You are powerless! And how does it feel to have someone finally tell _you_ that?!_" She slammed another door somewhere in the east wing, presumably locking herself inside to cool her temper towards her husband. Draco bit his lip. He prayed that Astoria wouldn't ask too many questions about it. She tugged his sleeve weakly. "A-Are…are your parents happy together?" she whispered. Draco turned to face her, hoping that no tears or signs of shame would cross his expression. "No." he answered. "But if you're willing to stick with me, I can promise that you and I will be."

He wished that Astoria would understand his underlying meaning—that if she was patient during the times that his father's side would show in him, they could work things out unlike his actual parents. He also hoped she could gather his hint towards starting a relationship with her. Being the intelligent and understanding girl she was though, she gave him a gentle nod. "Of course," she whispered. "You're the only one that's truly here for me." Draco felt an overwhelming sense of relief. He pulled her into a hug (being wary of her brittle bone structure) and held her like that for a long time. "Thank you," he breathed. Again, he wasn't even sure why.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone who leaves suggestions and reviews, and thank you to absolutely everyone who is still reading this! I hope that this chapter clears things up a little bit more. I don't really know about this one...it always seems weird to me when I reread my chapters out of context I suppose. Anyway, I hope it makes sense to you all. Please enjoy!**

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Standing in front of a large bookcase in the library, Draco frowned and rubbed his chin. He flicked his wand, summoning a book about magical identification and tracking towards him. This was nearly the seventeenth volume scattered around his chair. He seated himself and opened it to the index. _I want to learn how to use magic to reveal a person's location,_ he thought to himself. It took half an hour to read one chapter on invisibility cloaks, but he decided that concept would be highly irrational in hiding an entire family. He sighed. This was a lot more difficult than he ever expected. Draco closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as he attempted to come up with more ideas and explanations as to why the Greengrass family was just completely gone.

His concentration was interrupted though when a loud bang reverberated through the room. Lucius had burst into the room, swinging the double doors shut behind him. "Draco," he greeted simply. "Father," the young man responded. He watched as his parent approached another bookcase and summoned a volume from a higher shelf. A pause in conversation ensued. "And may I ask what it is you're doing here, my son?" said a reading Lucius. Draco sat up a little straighter mechanically. "I was just researching,"

"Curious boy,"

"It's important though, so I had to take quite a few volumes out."

"I see you've achieved a great pile. What is it that interests you so?"

"It's nothing. Nothing important."

"Now now, Draco. Don't hide things from your father."

"You wouldn't like it, so I'm sparing you from having to raise your voice."

"What gives you the impression that I would instantly be against this topic that interests you?"

"Because it has to do with Astoria Greengrass."

"…the _guest_."

"See? I knew you'd have that reaction. Why can't you feel anything towards her? She was cursed by Dark magic, she's stricken with a lifelong debilitating illness, her whole family is gone, and she's a wealthy pureblood!"

"…Goodness, Draco….You're in love with her."

Draco froze. This was not something he'd expected his father to deduce so soon. He knew he couldn't lie—there was no escape; he was trapped. He stalled by looking down towards the ground. "Why on earth would you say—"

"My son…in love with a Hufflepuff….breaking a long-standing family tradition of only courting Slytherins….what a shame…."

"She's a pureblood."

"She's _filth_, Draco. Get it through your head. There's a reason why her family that once held such high esteem abandoned her and her alone. She's only drawing you in because she knows you have money and she's got nothing right now. This 'illness' is only a tool in her game. I don't approve of you chasing after a woman that isn't a Slytherin, but I abhor the fact that you're chasing after _her_."

"…You're being completely irrational, Father. May I remind you that the reason why she's so sick is because of a Dark curse that was set upon her during—"

"DON'T YOU SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING, DRACO?! YOU'RE DISHONORING MY ENTIRE FAMILY FROM GENERATIONS OF PERFECTION BY PERSUING A WOMAN THAT DOESN'T DESERVE A MALFOY!"

Draco stared hard at his raging father, who was now quite red in the face and was standing rather close as he shouted. "Father," he said, surprised at how calm his voice sounded. "She's a pureblood. A pureblood boy loving a pureblood girl is something you've always stressed to me since I could make words. It's not like I'm getting involved with a mudblood or a blood traitor. What harm am I doing to these 'generations'? Not every Malfoy has to be a Slytherin. It doesn't matter if she deserves me—what matters is whether or not I deserve her."

"You _disgust_ me, traitor." Lucius hissed.

"Then disown me. Turn your back to me so you don't have to see it. Because I'm not stopping simply because you threaten me or try to bring me down."

"Look at you—you sound just like your mother!"

"Well maybe we're both right. Maybe you're outnumbered in your own house. Wait…that's right…don't all Malfoys have to be in the _same_ House? It looks like two are breaking away from that, hm?"

He was sure Lucius was going to hit him. Just smack him right across the face with a loud crack. But it didn't happen. Instead, the taller blonde male pursed his lips and threw the library doors open, walking away from Draco and heading straight for his chambers. Shaking, Draco rose from his chair, stunned at what he'd just said. He quietly padded out of the room. As he walked past the entrance hall, he saw his mother tying a letter to the leg of a fluffy gray owl. She beamed when she saw him. "Draco," she called, beckoning for him to come closer. He hesitantly followed. He just wanted to be with Astoria…

Narcissa opened the window, watching as the owl took off into the distance and become a tiny speck against the blue sky. "I've found them. Her parents. That was a letter addressed to them, detailing the condition of Astoria and where she is." she gasped breathlessly, knowing her son would be thrilled. Draco felt himself smile. "Mother…that's amazing! How on earth did you ever—"

"I was in Diagon Alley this morning to pick up a few dresses I ordered for her in hopes that someday she'll be able to walk again. When I reached the shop, there was a poster in the window begging for someone to offer information about the missing Greengrass daughter. I inquired within, and they told me that the family escaped to Poland during and after the war to avoid any confrontation with…with some of those in the dark organization." she couldn't bring herself to even say 'Death Eaters'. "But anyway, they couldn't tell me why Astoria was left behind. So I asked the family in the letter I just sent. It should only be a few days until we hear back. Just imagine, Draco—she'll be so happy to hear that she can go back to living with her own relatives!"

Suddenly, Draco felt something drain inside of him. What if Astoria went back with them? Surely they wouldn't approve of their pureblood daughter associating with someone who once used Dark magic himself (as well as his family). Not to mention her sister Daphne had 'talked' about him often. He knew he had to tell his mother about these affections. But what would she say? What would she do? He gulped, deciding to wait a bit until the time became more pressed. Maybe he could talk to Astoria about it first…someone he felt more comfortable with.… "Mother, you're truly amazing." he murmured, pulling her into a hug. She beamed even more at her son's approval of her actions.

Draco made his way back upstairs to the east wing. He paused in front of Astoria's door. Very quietly, he entered, knowing that she would be sleeping around this time of day. Sure enough, she was all bundled in her blankets, resting with her back to the doorway. He crept over to her bed, taking in the peaceful sight. Her brown silken hair. Her pale skin. Her dark eyelashes. Her dainty frame and hands. Getting used to expressing his affections with her, he bent down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "It's going to be alright, love." he breathed almost inaudibly, more to himself than to her. "Just tell me that, Astoria." But she remained silent, because she was fast asleep and unable to hear his request. Draco smiled at her unfailing beauty. He renewed the heating charm on her blankets wordlessly, then turned to leave her to rest.

What met him in the doorway nearly shocked him beyond repair.

Lucius had been watching the entire time from the hallway, his lips still pursed, his expression still cold. Draco held his gaze silently as if daring him to make another accusation. Without thinking, he simply pushed past his father to leave the room and continue down the hall to his own chambers. Once Astoria's door was soundly shut, Lucius's voice halted him right in his tracks. "Your mother found the family. She's contacted them this afternoon by owl." Draco froze. This was old news to him, but why was his father suddenly concerned with it? "What do you care? You probably hope they return to take back their scum of a pureblood." he scoffed.

"I hope they return and can stay here in this house."

This really upset Draco's sense of balance inside. What was this about? "Have you lost your mind, Father? One moment you're screaming at me in the library that I'm a traitor and might as well be disowned and yet now you're wishing that the girl you disregard has an extended stay here?"

"You're happy with her."

"But you're not, and whose opinion really matters in this house?"

"Draco, please, I'm trying to reach out to you…."

"Why? …I feel confused…"

"No, I don't approve of my only son, my heir, courting a girl that comes from Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin. I don't know that I'll honestly ever be able to accept that. But when you were a baby, I vowed to give you everything you could possibly want. …She's what you want. And I know that. Forgive me for confusing you, but…sometimes the Azkaban Lucius comes out when I least expect it, clouding my judgment and ability to think."

"So…you're alright with my affections towards Astoria?"

"No, Draco. Honestly it unsettles me. But I think over time…I could possibly come to terms with her as a human. I've never even spoken to her before. But if she makes you happy, then…I'll pretend to ignore the fact that she's not a Slytherin and try to focus on the things you called to my attention—that she's a wealthy pureblood. Achieving two out of three requirements isn't all that bad, I suppose…."

Draco finally turned around to face his father fully. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what was causing this switch in temperament. Perhaps it really was what Lucius had said—sometimes the Azkaban would just come out in him and he couldn't handle it. But now that everything seemed smoothed over for the time being, Draco realized that perhaps his father would be willing to allow this to continue; even if that meant he had to be completely silent to avoid lashing out against the idea. He felt warm inside. Draco gave a slight nod to the taller man. "Thank you, Father." he murmured. Lucius returned to small head bob. Simultaneously, they turned their backs to each other and headed separate ways down the hall, Astoria's door in the center of their parting.


	6. Chapter 6

**Sorry about this chapter being so short. I just wanted to get something out there that would go deeper into the emotions of the entire work as a whole rather than just putting out the plot all the time. I hope you like this little one! Thank you for reading! More is to come.**

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Malfoy Manor was dark, not a single lamp lit, one late spring evening. With all of the denizens tucked safely in bed, there was no reason for there to be any movement the middle of the night. The house-elves still had free reign though. Narcissa and Lucius had always commanded at least one to stay awake throughout the night so it could periodically check on Draco as he slept. It was something they'd done ever since he was a child to ensure his safety and his well-being.

So when Draco was awakened by the sound of footsteps in the hallway and his door clicking open softly, he knew that it was probably Kirry or one of the other elves. He closed his eyes again and tried to drift off to sleep. Except the house-elf seemed to be taking longer to get the door open—the hands kept slipping weakly as if supported by no strength to turn a doorknob. At last, the door opened and shut softly again. He sighed deeply, awaiting the sleep to gently rock him back to peacefulness. But suddenly, one side of his mattress dipped down only slightly, and a warm body pressed close into him.

Draco gasped a bit. After the war, Narcissa often spent many nights just slipping into bed beside Draco simply because it made her feel safer and more connected to her precious son. But this person was too small to fit the adult size of his mother. He turned over to see what was deciding to sleep beside him. Astoria Greengrass had entered the room and crawled into bed. In the dim light of the stars, he could see that she looked upset. He turned over fully to face her. "Dear," he whispered quietly. "Is everything alright?" Astoria buried her face into the pillows. "Astoria, what's the matter? You can tell me." he pleaded. It took a few seconds for her to draw a shaky breath in. "I-I…I wasn't feeling well and I was lonely. The two together are terrible. I t-thought maybe I could join you for some company…?" she explained. Draco smiled, a bit nervous but more happy. "Of course you can," he replied. He placed a kiss on her forehead. Astoria shuddered. "Ooh, Draco…you're so warm…."

He was quite confused by this, but was reminded quickly that Astoria's blankets had heating charms placed upon them to ensure she stayed warm—Draco's were just natural blankets. His body heat must've felt good to her feverish body. He wrapped both arms around her frail body and drew her in close. "Better?" he whispered. She nodded, thanking him. The two stayed like this in silence for a very long time.

Finally, Draco decided to speak. "We found your family," he told her. "They're safe in Poland. My mother sent a letter to them detailing your condition but also your level of safety and care. They wrote back today. They said they'll be on their way over here as soon as possible—that being tomorrow. It might take a few days. They're still moving slow for protective purposes. But just think—soon you'll be able to see them again. Isn't that wonderful?"

Astoria paused for a moment, thinking about this. "Does that mean that I'll have to leave here?"

"Well, no….not right away. My father wants them all to stay here for a while—in the manor, that is—until we're sure you're healthy enough to be moved."

"….What if I'm happy now?"

"Then you can still be happy when they come here."

"I'm happy with you,"

"Astoria, why don't you want them to return?"

"Because they might want me to leave this house, this family, as they sometimes cling to…the past. But I don't want to. I just wish there was a way to have both—you and them."

"That will be possible for a while. And just think—maybe they'll allow you to stay longer and they'll visit once they see we're…not on the wrong side anymore. Father will fix it, I promise."

Astoria snuggled even closer to him. He hugged her. The worst thing in the world to him was envisioning the day that Astoria would be separated from him—now that she'd brought that possibility to his mind, he felt more fearful than ever. Draco wanted to enjoy his time with her as much as possible so that maybe her parents would see that he wasn't a heartless Malfoy—he was a passionate Black. Maybe they'd let her stay with him. He didn't know how they'd react. But at the moment, all he wanted to do was feel every inch of Astoria's beautiful body pressed against him. Her eyes had dark shadows under them when she looked up at him. He only found it more attractive. She kissed his jawline (as this was what she could reach in her position), encouraging him wordlessly to set his hand on her slim knee beneath the silky nightgown. Draco recalled cuddling with Pansy, either on the commonroom sofa or in his own bed late at night. It had been different—forced. She liked him because of his blood status, because of his economic state. He liked her because she was what his father wanted for him; a rich, pureblood, Slytherin girl with pronounced features and enviable looks. That was about it. Here, he loved Astoria because of her beauty, her compassion, and her personality—which was far more deeper than Pansy had had to offer. Allowing Astoria to kiss him and knowing that she wouldn't pressure him into doing more or moving his hand higher up on her leg just felt so much more right. Astoria gently nuzzled her head against his chest lovingly, softly murmuring, "You make me feel so much better all the time just by being you, Draco." Oh yes. This was far better than cuddling with Pansy Parkinson.


	7. Chapter 7

**Just going to apologize now for the length of this chapter. But it's the one you've all been waiting for! I really hope you like this. If it gets too confusing or too exaggerated at some points, feel free to tell me. But I really wanted to make this one something great. Please enjoy and thank you for your unending support!**

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Draco wandered into the dining room for breakfast a few days later, seating himself beside his father wordlessly. Usually Narcissa was around to be sure no fighting commenced, but she was unexpectedly absent from the meal for the first time in a very long while. Lucius was reading his newspaper as usual. Draco took a bit of tea offered to him by a house-elf, being mindful of the lack of noise in the spaciously hollow room. Occasionally, a leaf of _The Daily Prophet_ would crinkle in turning, but other than that it was relatively silent. Draco knew that reaching for a delicious-looking piece of toast to satisfy his barren stomach would only cause more unnecessary reverberations that would strike as awkward and sudden. He decided to just skip the food and instead just sip his tea.

The silence was broken, however, when Narcissa hurried into the room, bustling and breathless. She tried to compose herself (as she had always been required to in front of her husband) out of habit, simply asking, "Draco, have you seen Astoria yet this morning?" He shook his head in response, afraid to open his mouth in case his voice was too loud. She gave a small nod, then continued on her way. Silence struck again. After only a few seconds (which felt like hours), Lucius put his newspaper down on the table. "I hear from one of the house rats that you're sleeping with her now…?" He raised his voice at the end like it was a question. Draco frowned, staring into his teacup to avoid the intense gaze of his obviously miffed father. "That isn't true, Father. They're house-_elves_, not house-_rats_." he calmly replied. Lucius slammed his hand down onto the stone table. "Do not get smart with me, young man. You know I don't personally like that girl, and that I'm only tolerating this situation because I know it makes you happy. You blatantly push me to my limits by doing things as…as risqué as this—inviting the little snake into your bed for the night!"

"Father, it's not like we…I mean we literally only sleep together sometimes. Not all the time. And there's nothing physical going on between us while we do."

"So you're trying to tell me that this sort of arrangement is completely innocent and all just fluff?"

"Actually, that's exactly what it is. We just enjoy each other's company. That's about it."

"…You should've stayed with that Parkinson girl."

"Oh, you want to talk about faking innocence, let me tell you just how 'sweet' she was!"

"Don't start with me, Draco—"

"She never just let me be. It was always, 'do more with me' and 'put your hands here' and 'you are easily replaceable' or sometimes even 'I can always just go to Blaise Zabini—he would be more than happy to have me in his bed for a change'. There was no love there, Father. Only demands."

"Like this girl is any different."

"But you can't say that Parkinson was better!"

"ENOUGH! Whatever you're doing with that…that _thing_ upstairs at night, I don't want to hear about it!"

Draco stood up from the kitchen table, putting his cup back onto its saucer. He glared at his father for a long time. "Comforting her," he snarled angrily. "She's lonely. That's all I'm doing and you know it. Because you also know that's what Mother has wanted you to do for her for years to cure her own loneliness." Draco swept out of the room, leaving Lucius to ponder his words. He immediately headed for the bathroom upstairs to wash his face—he knew that he was going to slam the door shut and just cry about the coldness and lack of empathy his father possessed. Draco threw the double doors open, ready to break down. But he was greeted by a loud gasp and a woman's voice yelling, "Draco! Please cover your eyes and leave!" But Draco's initial instinct was to find the source of the voice immediately. His eyes flicked upwards and saw Narcissa steadying Astoria as her torso was fully wrapped in a towel. He reddened almost as quick as his blinking. "Oh…er….I'm so sorry…I…oh…" he backed out of the room quickly, shielding his eyes with his hands. Once the door shut again, he heard the two women giggling slightly inside. "…will place a strong sealing charm on the door…." he heard Narcissa laugh. "At least you…fully concealed…towel…." The murmuring was difficult to hear through the heavy doors, but Draco could understand that based on Narcissa's assuring words, Astoria must've turned about as red as he did.

After a few minutes, the doors opened. Astoria was dressed in a soft blue nightgown, her hair untidy and dripping. Narcissa gently led her to the bedroom again. Ever since that first little excursion down the hall one midnight to be comforted by Draco, Astoria had been putting more and more effort into walking places rather than lying in bed all day. He blushed like mad when they made eye contact. Narcissa beckoned her son to follow them into the room. She sat Astoria down on the bed, also seating herself on the mattress directly behind her. "Let's detangle these locks…." Narcissa murmured gently, summoning a hairbrush with her wand. She moved carefully, dragging the hairbrush down Astoria's long brown strands slowly so no tangles would pull and cause her pain. Draco smiled as he watched this moment. He knew that sometimes his mother contemplated life if she'd birthed him a sister—but he also remembered times that Narcissa would dress him up and make him look just as perfect as she probably would've if she'd had a girl.

The process took quite a long time. Narcissa was a little more than half done when suddenly a house-elf Apparated and informed her that a guest had arrived to speak with her. The blonde woman stood up hastily, pushing the brush into Draco's hands as she bustled out the door. "Redeem yourself," she whispered with a wink. Draco looked nervously between the brush and the girl sitting on the bed with one side of her hair flat and shiny and the other a tangled mess. Astoria smiled. "Aren't I beautiful?" she teased. He grinned, taking a seat slightly behind her on the bed. "Always," he breathed close to her ear. "In every way, shape, and form." Astoria's cheeks flushed again. He gently ran the brush through her hair, going slow just as he watched his mother do. "Tell me if I hurt you," he reminded. "I don't think you ever could." she replied. He was careful with her—afraid that if he so much as moved wrong her whole body could shatter.

He ran the hairbrush through her now smooth locks once more, pulling the wet strands back from her face. When he could see the skin on her neck, he bent down and pressed his lips gently against that tender area. She shivered. He wrapped his arms around her torso, pulling her even closer against him. "Don't ever let me go," she whispered. Draco shook his head. "Never," he whispered. Astoria began shaking due to the air that was colder than her bathwater had been. He placed her gently against the pillows, tucking the blankets securely around her and imparting a heating charm upon them. She sighed happily.

Wordlessly, the two just stared at each other lovingly for a while. They didn't need to speak to express the undoubtable curtain of love that fell over them within the past several months—how it had happened, Draco honestly had no idea. At first he was so nervous to even look at her, afraid that one wrong move could kill her like his whole rfecent past had been. But she was reassuring—no, she was trusting. No one had ever been that trusting of him. Not his parents, who doubted that he would be able to fulfill his 'mission' to the Dark Lord; not his aunt Bellatrix, who'd suspected he'd be too weak to ever be a great man; not his peers, who constantly regarded him as a traitor and a coward; and most certainly not his teachers, who were always wary of him because of his surname. But this stranger who'd only known him for long enough to bed for someone to help her in the streets had put more faith in him than any of them ever had. It must be true love. Draco's reverie was broken when footsteps sounded down the hall and the bedroom door clicked open.

Astoria gasped.

Narcissa and Lucius stood there, holding the door, as a man, a woman, and two of their children all tried to get a better view into the room. Draco gaped too, not sure of how to react. Was this Astoria's family? Narcissa went into the room first, holding herself up tall. She took Astoria's fragile hand, speaking softly to her. "Darling, your family has arrived." Astoria stared at her fingers blankly, unsure what to say. The family walked in hesitantly. "Sweetest daughter," Mrs. Greengrass cooed, eyes welling with tears. "We've returned for you…." She burst into sobs, hiding her face in her husband's chest. "Astoria," he went on. "You must understand our reasons for having to leave you behind—"

"Please," Astoria gasped, her weak voice sounding even more pitiful than ever. "I don't…want to discuss the past. I hope you understand what I mean by that." Her mother looked baffled, but Draco caught Mr. Greengrass stealing a glance over at him. "Very well, daughter." he agreed slowly. "We'll talk about…other things, then. How do you feel?"

"Much better than I did when I arrived. Mistress Narcissa and Master Lucius have taken extraordinary care of me."

Draco's blood boiled. His father had done nothing but insult her behind her back. How could she say such a pleasant thing like that? But suddenly he felt a warm bony hand wrap around his. "But Master Draco has been exceedingly helpful in my recovery." she concluded. He heard her brother, the oldest child, draw in a deep breath like a gasp. The sickly girl smiled at her lover. "Draco," she murmured, completely in a conversation with just him and him alone. "I'd like you to meet my family. This is my mother, Idylla Greengrass, my father, Stephanos, and you remember my sister Daphne, of course…and this is my brother—the heir. His name is Bazel. I'm most grateful to you and your family for allowing them to stay here with me." Draco nodded to each of the family members. He shook hands with Mr. Greengrass and Bazel. To impress his own parents, he kissed the hands of both of the female Greengrasses. The moment he sat back down on the bed, Astoria took his hand again. She _needed_ him. He realized it. The family huddled around Astoria, occasionally whispering kind things to her, sometimes bringing up a question. It was a rather touching experience—Narcissa had a hand over her heart the whole time at the expression of such familial love. The good feeling didn't last too long. Bazel stealthily brushed Draco's hand away from his sister's, replacing it with his own. "Astoria, I need to speak with you." he said in a rather stern voice for the occasion. "Alone." His eyes swept over to Draco briefly. The Greengrass family rose at his command, filing out of the room without another word. Narcissa and Lucius followed. This young man clearly had a lot of power over others, whether that be circumstantial or inherent. As Draco stepped out of the room, he and Astoria met eyes one more time. One last time.

The door shut.

Narcissa sensed the tension in the air. "Come downstairs to the sitting room," she encouraged warmly. "We'll all have some tea." The families followed her, each taking a seat separate from one another so that a sort of circle was formed. It was rather quiet. The Greengrasses were clearly a bit uncomfortable to be in the presence of Lucius Malfoy. Narcissa attempted to strike up a few conversations with small talk, but they usually died into silence again within just a few mere minutes.

At one point, Narcissa sighed and tried to smile. "I wonder what's taking Bazel so long to join us?" she wondered aloud. Daphne looked up from her teacup. "He's talking to Astoria about Draco." she blurted as if unable to stop it. Everyone stared at her. "He…he told me on the way here that he was going to be watchful of you, Draco, and that if it appeared that you and my sister were close, then he'd 'put an end to it' before it hurt her."

"But…Draco never did anything wrong…" Narcissa murmured.

"Of course not. But Bazel is extremely protective. It's just his way of doing things. He doesn't want to see Astoria get used."

Draco felt himself getting angrier by the moment. He would never _use_ anyone! Not even Pansy Parkinson! He didn't have time to voice this thought though, because Lucius had smirked and began speaking. "And what say you about this, Mr. Greengrass? This topic of…_inter-House relations?_" Draco felt himself starting to shake out of terror. If her parents agreed that a Slytherin (a Malfoy, for that matter) was not suitable for their Hufflepuff, then there would be absolutely no chance with her ever again between her influential parents and his overpowering father. Tears burned. He didn't understand why. But he knew that if the negative was replied, he was going to have to burst into a sobbing fit right then and there. She just made him so incredibly happy for the first time in years….

But Mr. Greengrass merely gave a sad smile. "Sir, my heir is a Ravenclaw. My eldest daughter is a Slytherin. My baby girl is a Hufflepuff. I myself, was a Ravenclaw, and my wife was a Gryffindor. That's one person in every House just within the five of us. Honestly, the only thing that ever divides us House against House is when we're watching Quidditch games." Narcissa attempted to hide her beaming smile behind her teacup, but clearly couldn't. Lucius's lips were pursed. "Perhaps you don't understand, Mr. Greengrass, that every generation in my family has married within the same House—Slytherin. For centuries. If something between these two—"

"Bazel is only speaking with Astoria now because of your last name, Mr. Malfoy. Not anything that has to do with the differences in Hogwarts Houses."

"What does my last name have to do with my son's love life?"

"You were a faithful Death Eater. Bazel lost his fiancé in the war at the hands of one of them. He's having a hard time knowing that he may have to release his baby sister into a family of them."

"…We no longer hold that title, _sir._"

"I understand. But perhaps you should look into the feelings of others, instead of just the facts."

Draco saw his mother look at Lucius from the corner of her eye, without moving her head an inch. Lucius remained silent. She drew a deep breath. "No one is talking marriage yet, sir." she said. Mrs. Greengrass nodded this time. "Of course not, good woman. But it's hard to doubt that Draco and Astoria have quite a spark between them. One that doesn't happen all too commonly." Her eyes twinkled as she glanced at Draco. His anxiety was now reduced to an occasional shudder, but it was still causing his heart to palpitate much quicker. Footsteps came into earshot slowly. Everyone looked up from their rather awkward teatime. Bazel was walking towards them, supporting Astoria as she clung to his arm. She was obviously making quite an effort to walk such a far distance—this must have been a very pivotal talk that she had to be present in order to share the outcome. Bazel had her pause in the large doorway of the room. He looked at everyone, his parents' eyes full of nervousness but trust in his judgment. His eyes fell upon the youngest Malfoy. "Draco," he commanded, beckoning him to step forward. Astoria looked up at him with emotional eyes that he could not quite read for the first time since he'd met her.

Bazel stared hard at him, as if sensing his internal characteristics. It was like the Sorting Hat all over again, he thought to himself. "She needs someone that will put her first, above all things. Like I would, as she is my sister." Bazel said firmly. Draco's heart sank. This was the denial. Next he was going to say that Astoria could not be with someone who wasn't entirely redeemed in the eyes of the world, that she only deserved to be with someone as perfect as she was—

"And that's why I'm allowing her to choose you."

Draco raised his eyes in shock. This was not what he was expecting to hear. Astoria's knees collapsed from being under so much pressure. Immediately, Draco reached out and caught her in his arms before she could even sink a meter. Bazel let a smile show for a fleeting second. "You know her. You read her well. I don't know if you two are thinking about marriage yet, considering you are both still quite young, but I would like you to know that your relationship has my blessing for however long it may last." Now Draco's knees felt like collapsing. He hugged Astoria closer to him, murmuring gratitude towards the taller boy. When Astoria could no longer even stand and began shivering, he announced that he would take her to her bed for a rest. Bazel sat down with the rest of the families as Draco escorted Astoria back up the stairs.

Once tucked safely under the covers, Astoria sighed. "That was awful…." she muttered softly. Draco smiled slightly. "Why, dear? What was awful?"

"Talking to Bazel. He's always been too protective of me, and I knew the moment he saw you he was going to have a fit. He didn't want me to be with you because of the…past. But I convinced him that things were different now. Surprisingly, he listened. Usually he doesn't back down or give up his stance."

"What did you say that convinced him?"

"…I told him that I love you."

Draco's heart froze for a second. She loved him. She actually loved him. All those times he'd kiss her or cuddle her or tuck her in he hoped he was proving himself worthy to be loved by her—and now he was. He just _was_. A bubbling sensation rose up inside of him. He was sure that if she was bedridden, he would've picked her up and twirled her in the air with him out of pure joy. Instead, he took her hand and placed a kiss on her wrist. "Oh God, do I love you, Astoria." he whispered against her soft skin. He laid down beside her, pressing his forehead against hers, intertwining their fingers. "Remember when I asked you to never let me go?" she asked quietly. Draco nodded as he recalled their previous conversation. "I…I meant that I didn't want you to let me go even if Bazel and my family disagreed with our love. I didn't want you to give in.…to give up on me."

Draco suddenly felt a shudder wrack his body at the depth of those little words he'd taken so lightly. She really wanted this to last as much as he did. It wasn't just in his head. Maybe he had redeemed himself over all this time. With her help. He kissed her deeply. After pulling apart, he whispered, "Do you remember what my answer was? 'Never'. I would never even _think_ of abandoning you for any reason at all."


	8. Chapter 8

**This one is pretty long too. But hey, this train is moving fast! By the way, don't be afraid any one chapter is just the end. I'll warn you when the story itself is coming to a close. But have no fear! This is not the end, and it won't be for a very long time. We still have a lot to get through before that! Enjoy! ;)**

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Having the Greengrass family living under the same roof as the Malfoys was leaving quite an impression everywhere—one to be noted for the better. Lucius and Narcissa no longer had screaming matches. Whether this was out of courtesy of the guests or just lack of privacy, it was hard to tell. But they got along well now. If there was a difference in opinion over a topic, they simply just didn't speak in order to prevent an argument. Draco took notice of this between both families; they handled it the same way. He deduced that Narcissa and Lucius had probably secretly agreed to each other to take lessons from Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass in order to make the understanding of relationships easier for themselves. Of course, he didn't mind at all.

Things with Astoria were going better than ever as well. It seemed as if having her family around increased her ability to heal a bit more. Narcissa and Mrs. Greengrass (who had become attached to each other quickly) enjoyed ordering new dresses for Astoria to wear, as she was beginning to leave her room and bed now all on her own. She mentioned that wearing just a nightgown made her feel a bit self-conscious, asking Daphne if she could borrow at least one dress of hers. But Daphne immediately reported to her mother. Draco recalled that even in school she was never quite able to hold her tongue about anything. It wasn't necessarily a bad trait, but it embarrassed Astoria to no end as the women of the house fussed over her, choosing colors and patterns and such. Sometimes Draco would just sit back and watch the four of them, giggling a bit when Astoria would catch his eye and make a face or silently plead for rescue.

Lucius often retired to his study to work whenever there were too many people around his space. This was probably better considering he had a bad temper and felt the need to look perfect in front of another perfect pureblood family. Bazel was a bit like him as well—he would sometimes just go to the back porch to read or write something whenever he needed alone time. Draco never needed to be isolated though. The only thing he really did need was Astoria. During the couple of months the Greengrasses stayed, he realized just how much he actually depended on seeing her smile, feeling her touch, hearing her voice. It frightened but excited him; he couldn't exactly pinpoint why.

The mediwizard arrived once a month to check on Astoria. On his latest visit, he was pleasantly surprised to see her walk towards him all on her own—no support necessary. After a quick checkup and scan with his wand, he determined that the Dark illness was only at bay for the time being. He shared his research with Narcissa and Draco privately. "It seems to me," he recounted, reading from a little notebook he produced from his coat. "That the girl's disease gets stung, if you will, during periods of immense love and happiness. It retreats and leaves less symptoms. This could explain why when you found her, it was so bad: she had been stricken with this, her family left her, she was alone, and no one was around to care for her. Your tenderness and love has truly brought about a great recovery." Draco breathed a sigh of relief. So if she stayed happy and loved for the rest of her life, she'd be relatively healthy. But he also knew that sending her away with her family would strain their relationship, eventually hurting her. She'd slip. She'd be sad and get sicker. But there was no avoiding that event—the Greengrass family could not live with the Malfoys forever. They had their own lives to attend to. She'd have to go back. Unless…

After the evaluation, Narcissa left to tell Mrs. Greengrass the good news. Draco lingered behind. He didn't want to hear the plans that her parents would immediately begin making as to return her to them fully. He just knew they would. Purebloods were self-sufficient—they never relied on anyone else for too long. Feeling a depressing weight, Draco slipped away to his room. For the first time, he didn't even want to look at Astoria. It would only break his heart.

He sat on his bed. Just sat. He was too deep in thought to do much else or muse about anything. After nearly three-quarters of an hour went by, he heard a soft knock at the door. Of course they'd come looking for him eventually. He just hoped it wasn't…her….

But his prayers were answered to the fullest extent when he saw it was only Kirry and not any human coming to probe him into saying why he suddenly became so down when there was so much good to celebrate. Kirry shut the door behind her, bowing low to the ground. "Master Draco, sir." she greeted. He tried to give a weak smile. She stepped closer to him so that she was standing close to his toes. "Kirry has comes to Master Draco's chambers to see if he are feeling good?"

"I feel fine." he answered quickly so his voice wouldn't crack under the strain.

"No, no, Master Draco, sir. Kirry was wondering if Master Draco sir are feeling good in the heart?"

"Feeling good in the heart? I feel fine, Kirry, just…leave me alone."

"Aha! Now Kirry is knowing the correct wordses to use. Kirry apologizes for her stupid stupid misunderstandingses. Kirry has comes to find out if Master Draco sir are feeling hurting inside his heart maked by thoughts."

"…Oh, you mean you're checking on my emotions?"

"Yeses, Master Draco sir. Kirry apologizes for being stupid stupid stupid and maked confusion in Master Draco sir's mind."

"No…no, Kirry. You weren't stupid. And trust me, you're not the one causing trouble in my mind."

And for no reason at all, it seemed, Kirry sat down on the floor right at Draco's toes, her big eyes never leaving his for a second. She wanted to listen to him. He looked down at the little elf, letting out a sigh. "Look at me," he muttered. "Talking to a house-elf like it's my best friend."

"It is being better than holding all of the feelingses inside Master Draco sir's head." she replied.

"Alright….but just don't say anything about this to anyone, alright? The doctor came today. He said that Astoria was nearly in excellent health. Her disease is still there, because it will never actually go away, but that love and happiness makes it affect her less. Once my mother tells her family that she's doing better, they'll want to take her home with them. Away from here. Away from me. Of course I'll be devastated—she's literally been the light of my life for…wow, it's almost a year now. But I worry about her. She'll be equally as sad, and once she feels that then the disease will return stronger and she'll get sicker and….oh, Kirry! What am I going to do?"

Draco began crying into his hands. Kirry sat there, watching him, blinking only when she was processing everything over in her mind. "It is seeming to Kirry that all Master Draco sir is needing to do is keep little Mistress forever and ever." she concluded.

"Yes, but how could I possibly do that? Her parents aren't going to live here much longer. Both families are purebloods—sure we help each other out when necessary, but we never become dependent on another. Never. We are independent and strong."

"So what if Mistress Narcissa no is telling the family of little Mistress?"

"Of course she'll tell. She wants to see Astoria get better too. She doesn't really know too much about our…you know, our relationship. I think she knows we're in love, but not the way I know we're in love."

"What if Master Draco sir is marry little Mistress?"

Draco paled. He looked up at the house-elf in a mixture of strange feelings. "No…" he whispered. "No, Kirry…I could never do that…."

"But how come not? Mistress Narcissa loved Master Lucius sir, and he married himself to her to makes her happy and makes her a child."

"Father wouldn't…he wouldn't allow for me to marry Astoria."

"Mistress Narcissa would allow. Kirry is heard her talking to Grass of Green lady and they was discussing dresses for little Mistress. They was talk about a white dress for her in someday. Kirry is heard Grass of Green lady ask Mistress Narcissa if she was think that little Mistress could survives to have a marry day."

"They…they were talking about weddings?"

"Oh yeses, Master Draco sir. Kirry is heard."

"Did they say anything about…you know…who she might have to marry?"

"Hm…Grass of Green lady telled Mistress Narcissa that she would not being picking a spouse for little Mistress, as pureblood custom is say to do for many many years. She say that she is wants little Mistress to choose for herself so she can being happy."

"…No, Kirry. I can't. I can't do it. What if Astoria just says yes to be polite, or because she thinks that's what everyone wants?"

"Master Draco sir, Kirry has seen little Mistress when Master Draco sir is walk into the room. Little Mistress does not stop smiles. Little Mistress maked Kirry promise not to be telling what she say to Kirry one day."

"Kirry, what did she say to you?"

"Kirry must not speak,"

"Come on, tell me!"

"Kirry has maked promise to little Mistress."

"Kirry, I am your master. And even though she lives here…she's not. You have an obligation to me and me only. So, as an order, I command you to tell me what Astoria forbid you to speak of!"

"Alright, alright, Master Draco sir! Little Mistress telled Kirry that she loves Master Draco sir with everything she is being, and that if someday something ever happens to her, she is wanting Master Draco sir to know that he has fully redeemed himself in her eyes and restored her to her completely happy. She also made Kirry swear not to be tell Master Draco sir that little Mistress is feels she has been met her soulmate in him."

Draco was stunned. He felt like time completely stopped. Astoria no longer feared or was wary of him. He'd redeemed himself. She was only completely happy because of him. He'd restored her. And most importantly…she said she'd found her soul mate in him. She loved him that much, so much that she knew at the age of eighteen who she was supposed to be with for the rest of her life. Tears came to his eyes. He wasn't sure if he wanted to jump for joy, or twirl the house-elf around in glee, or wring her neck for not telling him this sooner. "Kirry…" was all he could breathe before breaking into more tears. Kirry suddenly started bawling too. "Kirry is sorry, Master Draco sir! Kirry is sorry she is stupid stupid stupid and never telled him all the words of little Mistress! Kirry is sorry that she forgetted her loyalty to her true Masters first! Kirry will go lock herself in the furnace now—"

"Kirry, don't! Don't! You have nothing to be sorry about! I'm crying because I'm so grateful to you. If you hadn't told me this right now, then I would've been lost probably made a big mistake."

"Oh, Master Draco sir. Little Mistress is such a kind girl. She speaked to Kirry so nice, she always is use good manners even when she could not move even a little bit, she is having such a big heart for anyone. She is needing you to love."

"Kirry…why would she want me, though? I'm…I'm like my father sometimes. And she knows that. Why just disregard the fact that I do have his blood in me?"

Kirry smiled a watery grin. "Master Draco sir, Kirry is always knowing that he is not his father at all."

Draco suddenly felt something spring up inside of him. He often treated Kirry like a servant, he knew that, and sometimes he was a little too sharp. But here she was, loyally assuring him that he could never be like his father even when he exhibited some of the same traits. Without warning, he bent down and gave her a big hug. Kirry wrapped her bony elf arms around him in return. "Go and get that nice girl, Master Draco sir. Go get her and be live far away from here, from Master Lucius sir, so that you can always being happy together. Then makes lots of little Master Draco sirs and little little Mistresses and brings them to visit their grandmother Mistress Narcissa here and Kirry too." she whispered. Tears trailed down Draco's cheeks, but he laughed despite them. After breaking the embrace, Draco dried his eyes and thanked Kirry profusely once again. He was going to talk to his parents. He was going to tell them his decision, not ask for anyone's permission.

By the time Draco had entered the dining room, lunch was over. Astoria and her family had gone together to sit outside and talk (giving her some much needed fresh air). Lucius and Narcissa remained, trying to start up a few conversations with each other as practiced. Standing behind the wall to give the butterflies in his stomach some time to settle, Draco listened for a few minutes.

"I've been talking a little to Idylla lately." Narcissa said.

"Have you?" Lucius responded civilly.

"Yes. We were talking about our relationships with our husbands. She told me that talking like this to you would put us more in touch with each other. She said it would give more positive results if we remain open about our feelings together."

"That makes good sense. Do you like how we're doing things now?"

"I think this is a very pleasant conversation, indeed. But we haven't had any differentiating opinions yet, so we'll have to test it then."

"I agree. Speaking to you and hearing your voice often…reminds me of when we first met at Hogwarts. Remember that? At the lunch table that winter, when you were crying because you'd only received an 'Acceptable' on your Potions essay?"

"Yes, I do. Then you came over and sat near me, asking what was wrong."

"And when you told me that your parents expected you to get at the very least an 'Excellent' on all of your marks, I laughed, asking why they didn't have the same expectations of your older sister Bella."

"Ohhh yes, now I remember how it ended! I told you that they did, but that she got 'Outstanding' on every single assignment!"

"And it turned out that for _years_ she'd been lying to both you and your parents—she was really getting 'Dreadful' on everything!"

Draco had never ever heard this story before, but his parents were actually laughing together. He forgot what his mother's laugh sounded like. She sighed happily. "That's right, dear. And then you offered to help me study, and from that day forth we just knew we were in love." Lucius chuckled as well. "It's very difficult to refute when the attraction is so strongly mutual." he agreed. Draco heard rustling of fabric, peeking around the corner to see what was happening. Narcissa had actually climbed onto her husband's lap—he was just holding her there as if they'd never fought ever. "Oh, Lucius…" she sighed in a whisper. "I wish we were still as intimate as we were in those days…."

But that was all Draco had to hear to numb him up enough to barge into this tender moment. He did _not_ want to hear about 'those days' at all. As soon as Narcissa saw him, she gasped a bit and hopped off of her husband's lap. Lucius instantly straightened to regain composure. "Draco?" he asked formally to be rid of the awkwardness. The young Malfoy drew a deep breath. "I need to talk to you." he firmly announced. Narcissa beckoned for him to be seated with them. He didn't hesitate to start talking the moment he was in a chair. "I've been thinking about Astoria a lot lately. And her health of course. Mother, remember the doctor said that she is heartiest when she's happy and around love? I don't think that sending her back to live with her family alone will keep her this vibrant. I don't mean to sound boastful, Father, but I know that she's only happy when she's around me. If I let us be separated…she'll decline and I'll just be lost without her. She's truly made me so happy within the past months." Narcissa and Lucius glanced at each other. Would this be the test of their newfound relationship? "That's why," Draco continued, suddenly feeling very nauseous. "I would like your blessing…on our marriage."

Lucius bit his lip. Narcissa reached over to hold his wrist. "This is true love, I am sure of it." Draco went on. "Father, I apologize for eavesdropping, but you even said yourself that no one can deny it when the feelings are mutual. Trust me, I know they're mutual—both Astoria and Kirry have affirmed that for me."

"Goodness, how much did you hear?" Narcissa murmured, her face turning a deep crimson. Draco smiled. "Enough to know that you and Father were as sure about each other as we are."

"Son, I'm not sure that I'm completely prepared for this." Said Lucius. "But I'm not going to stop you. Working it all out is my own issue, and that shouldn't impede you from doing what you want. I can accustom myself without causing everyone else to have to wait for me. You're all important too."

"You have my blessing," Narcissa beamed. Draco could tell she was already selecting styles of wedding dresses in her mind for Astoria. Lucius hesitated. Finally, he sighed. "As long as you discuss the topic with Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass as any respectable pureblood male should do, then…you have my blessing too."

Draco jumped up and threw his arms around his father, completely unprecedented. He couldn't help but ride this wave of pure joy and relief. "Thank you," he whispered. He kissed his father's cheek, earning a pat on the back. When he turned to his mother, he hugged her tightly and didn't let go. She'd always believed in him. In them. Throughout all the excitement, Draco was at a loss for words. He only had one more hurdle to clear before the world could know of his love for Astoria Greengrass.

Talking to her parents was completely easy. They too were eager to accept him as their son-in-law, and Draco could've sworn he saw the wheels in Mrs. Greengrass's mind turning over the thought of wedding dresses for her daughter. Bazel was rather stone-faced the entire chat. But nevertheless, he accepted and gave Draco his blessing. Daphne simply could not know about all this. She would tell Astoria immediately, even if she did not mean to. Draco and Bazel reached an agreement that it would be best if both girls would be equally as surprised when he proposed the most life-changing question of all.

The very next day, Lucius took Draco and Bazel to Diagon Alley to select an appropriate engagement ring. Only the males were allowed to go, he decided, so that the females wouldn't get too overexcited and spoil the surprise. When Draco finally selected a gold band with a topaz stone and an emerald decorating it, he received praise from his accompaniment for his thoughtful choice. The only thing left to do was get down on one knee before the woman he loved with all of his being….


	9. Chapter 9

**Ah this is an important one! I really hope you like this and it doesn't get confusing. Your thoughts and comments are immensely appreciated - I like knowing the best way I can reach my readers. Thank you all so much! Enjoy this one, as there will be more to come!**

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Lucius sat outside on the back porch, attempting to avoid any interior part of the house—the women of the Greengrass and Malfoy family were all in a tizzy around Astoria. They wanted her to look like the _perfect_ bride. Lucius wondered why they were fussing so much; they'd had a month to plan everything, although they honestly had her whole look decided upon in one week. He surmised that the main fuss over it all was due to the fact that this would be the one opportunity to dress Astoria up enough to make her appear completely healthy—as if there was absolutely no Dark curse upon her at all. Lucius sat there in the cool cloudy air and pondered the situation he was not all too fond of, but was accustoming himself to.

His heir, his only son, was about to break century-old tradition tonight. Lucius thought back along his family tree—every Malfoy so far had married a Slytherin, female or male. Draco was going to marry a Hufflepuff. Goodness, how had he let this happen? Then he recalled his conversation with him from a few months ago. He'd told his son that he would allow the fateful relationship continue if it made Draco happy; isn't that what fathers did? He had recounted all of this information with Mr. Greengrass one night over a few glasses of firewhiskey. The Ravenclaw man had reached across the table, patted Lucius's wrist, and affirmed, "Lucius, I think you've just realized the price of being a father." It was true—he had indeed sacrificed his own satisfaction in order to ensure his son was happy. It was just _so different_ from the way things had always been in his house though. He'd constantly remind them that he was the head of the house, and no one was to attempt to exceed that law. Things were strange now. They were pleasantly abnormal, he supposed.

As Lucius mused, he hardly noticed the sound of hurried footsteps of someone joining him on the porch. He looked up when a sweep of color caught his eye. Astoria had run outside breathlessly, wheezing slightly as she tried to calm down. She glanced up. "Oh my," she murmured, trying to tuck her limp hair behind her ears and curtsy politely. "I'm terribly sorry for disturbing you, Master Malfoy. I didn't know you'd be out here. I thought you were going to help Draco get ready at the cottage with Bazel." It was true—the couple had decided to move away from Malfoy Manor after the wedding, so they'd selected a small cottage in the countryside in which to start their own lives. Lucius was expected to Apparate and meet the two young pureblood males there so that he could assist his son in dressing. But he didn't want to arrive too early. He didn't want to have that extra time to feel the mixture of emotions swirling inside of him. "Soon, Miss Greengrass, very soon I will go. I just decided to take some time out here alone for a bit. And…I do beg your pardon for asking, but…aren't you supposed to be getting ready too?" he replied, trying to be pleasant to her even though he was convinced she was taking his Draco away from him. She giggled. "I suppose I am, but Mother is _insisting_ I take a second bath, but this time in buttermilk so my skin will be soft. I already took a bath this morning! I'm clean enough!"

"Ah, girls and their ideas. That's why I'm allowing Draco to do most of his dressing himself. I don't want to stress him out."

"And _please_ don't make him take two baths."

"I won't, Miss Greengrass. I can assure you,"

Lucius wasn't sure what else to say to her. She was a very brilliant girl, and he was sure he would like her more if she wasn't romantically involved with his son. She was young, cute, but sophisticated enough to stand on her own. He didn't have to worry about the awkward silence for too long though, because she gasped and knelt down at his feet. He'd nearly forgotten that the two great big dogs they owned were sleeping there. She gently stroked their long-haired heads in fascination. "I didn't know you had puppies…." she murmured. He was about to smugly correct her that the two dogs were certainly _not_ puppies, but after glancing down and seeing her expression of pure joy caused by something as simple as stroking the dogs, he decided to not do that to her. "Oh yes. They live outside mostly. They only come inside to eat and get baths—Narcisa likes the house to stay clean. When Draco was little he used to smuggle them into his room all the time. But they're lazy dogs now. They just sit around most of the day." he explained. Astoria giggled as one sniffed her nose.

The good mood was broken though, when Daphne came running out and grabbed Astoria by the arm. "Don't touch the dogs after you've just had a bath! Do you want to take a third one too? Now come on! Mother's been looking everywhere for you, and Mistress Narcissa wants to show you an idea she came up with for your hair. Pardon us, Master Malfoy." she spilled before curtseying politely and then dragging her younger sister back inside. Lucius felt himself grinning slightly. He looked over at the clock on the wall. It was time to help Draco. Slowly, he rose from his chair. Lucius glanced down at the two dogs who were already reassuming their sleeping position. Drawing his wand, he swooped it back and forth twice, concentrating on his destination, and felt himself being swiftly Apparated to the cottage just outside Wiltshire.

Bazel opened the front door when Lucius knocked. "Sir," he greeted, bowing. "It's a good thing you got here when you did. Draco's having…a bit of a time right now. I think he just needs you." Lucius suddenly felt startled. Why was Draco having a moment? Was he beginning to regret his decision to marry Astoria? Suddenly, Lucius realized that he hoped not. For all this time of resenting his attraction to the girl, it just dawned on him that she made Draco so naturally happy—without her, he would just go back to being quiet and somber. Lucius stepped in quickly, heading straight for Draco's bedroom. Sure enough, his son was sitting on the bed, head in his hands, crying like a child. Bazel quietly shut the door. "I'm going to leave you two alone." he whispered.

Lucius tried to remain composed—seeing Draco crying was welling up that emotion of deep sadness in him, and he did not want to shed any tears. He sat down on the bed. "Son, can you tell me what's wrong?" Draco heaved a sobbing sigh. "I can't…this tie…." He opened his hands to reveal the silk green tie that he was supposed to be wearing around his neck. Lucius felt himself smile a bit. "Can you not tie it correctly? It's alright, Draco. It's nothing to cry about. I'm here. I can help you." he assured. Still whimpering tearfully, Draco allowed him to skillfully loop the piece of fabric delicately around the collar of his white shirt, setting it perfectly. "Better?" Lucius asked. He felt like he was talking to the seven-year-old son he once had. Draco shuddered and let out another sob. "Draco, there's something else." he said. "What's troubling you? This is supposed to be the happiest day of your life."

"Am I doing the right thing?"

"W-What…?"

"She's so young, Father. She's eighteen. And she's just so fragile…what if I'm wrong? What if she's getting better just naturally and it has nothing to do with me? She's a Hufflepuff, and—"

"Draco, Draco. Calm down. You're just nervous, that's all. Let's take this step by step. We'll solve it by using our logic, like the Slytherins we are. Alright?"

"…Yes, Father."

"Now then. First, yes she is young. Eighteen is very young to get married. But I spent some time alone with her today, and I can sense that she is very mature. She doesn't act like a swinging, childish, average eighteen-year-old girl. She's a woman. Her upbringing and background and even her experiences have caused her to become wise beyond her years. By the way, I'll just remind you that your mother was twenty when I married her."

"B-But…she had me when she was twenty-five. I thought you married just a year or two previous."

"No, we never wanted to tell you, but we tried for five years to have a baby. It would always either fail or end in a miscarriage. We were so lucky to have had you."

"I…I didn't know that…."

"And onto your second worry—the mediwizard even told you his research concluded that she was improving in health due to the love and happiness surrounding her. Think about when she arrived, Draco. I hadn't even seen her. Your mother was positively frightened of her case. But who visited her most often to keep her company? Who showed her the compassion she needed to revive? You did. Not a bloody house-elf, not me, not your mother. You did. That's when she really started getting better. She loves you, she fought her denying brother for you. It's not in your head, Draco. Anyone can see that you two have a very unique connection. …Even I can. And the last thing. Draco, I know I made a very pointed deal of the fact that you're breaking century-old tradition. But honestly, that's not your problem. It's mine. I have to just learn to handle it. Look, your mother had a cousin that was in Gryffindor, and even though his family disagreed with it, he isolated himself—not the other way around."

"S-Sirius Black,"

"Yes, it was Sirius Black."

"But Aunt Bella—"

"Oh, Draco. You know I've always told you since you were a day old that I thought she was insane. I never actually liked her. I tolerated her for your mother's sake."

"Is…is that what you'll do with Astoria?"

"For the beginning. But I'm almost positive that girl will grow on me. She already put a smile on my face for the first time, and I was only with her for a few minutes. What I'm trying to say is that I'm starting to believe that perhaps the Malfoy family needs to have a bit of a change. I'm a prime example. The first Malfoy to be thrown in Azkaban. Make something good out of it, Draco. Conceal that black mark on our name by showing everyone that change works for the better too."

Draco looked up at him. Lucius suddenly felt the dam of emotions erupt. The tears poured out. To hide the fact that he was crying in front of his son (for the first time ever), he pulled Draco into a hug. "It's just hard for me to watch my baby grow up into such a good man." he whispered. "I always encouraged you to follow in my footsteps. I was angry when you didn't by falling for this girl. And now I believe it couldn't be any better that you became so good." Draco let out a little hiccup of a sob, which made Lucius smile through his tears. He pulled out of the hug. "Now let's get your coat on and comb this hair again. This is not a day for worry, my child, it's a day of celebration. I'm going to do my best to make you feel less stressed." he assured. Draco dried his eyes. "I wonder if Astoria is nervous," he thought aloud. Lucius chuckled. "With that sister of hers, her mother, and your own mother, she's bound to be a nervous wreck. They've already made her bathe twice." Draco laughed along with him. "Oh, goodness…."

Bazel reentered the room to help Draco slip into his black coat and tuck in his shirt again. Lucius tried to be gentle as he combed through his son's fine platinum-blonde hair. More of those unnamable emotions flooded back into him, thinking about when Draco was little and he would have his hair gelled back to look just like his father. Bazel stood back to take in the sight of his brother-in-law. "I'm proud," he said to Draco. Lucius stepped back too. "As am I," The groom thanked them both. They stepped outside the house, using Apparition to get them to the church.

Narcissa and Lucius each took one of Draco's arms to walk him down the aisle during the ceremony. His mother was nearly gleaming with pride. But also, she had endless tears pouring down her cheeks. Lucius wrapped an arm around her as a comfort—something Draco would've never imagined to have happen. As he stood at the altar, he looked back at the doors, eager to greet his beautiful bride.

He was not prepared for what he saw.

Astoria was absolutely beyond gorgeous. She was wearing a long white gown that was full and made her look like a princess. Her veil covered her delicate face and trailed down the back of her dress, stopping just at the ground. Lace decorated just the top portion of her dress. She had subtle sparkles hidden in the beautiful fabric that glittered whenever she moved. For the first time ever, the crowd got to see her with her hair pulled back away from her face; whether it was because it was too limp to curl, they didn't know. But the way she had it rolled back and wrapped in a neat swirling bun just to the left side of her head finished off her completely stunningly elegant look. She was a princess. She was Draco's princess.

Lucius held his wife as she cried tears of happiness, not believing that he was getting to watch his son on this special day. Yes, it was true; Astoria was not his first choice of marriage for Draco, but she was not a terrible bride. He could gradually accept her for his son. When he was in Azkaban, he'd figured Voldemort would punish him by keeping him there forever—the thought of seeing Draco's wedding day was practically not possible. Lucius felt blessed, lucky, _happy_. Narcissa slipped her delicate hand into his. "He's crying…" she whispered, pointing slightly up at Draco. It was true; his son had tears slipping down his smiling cheeks as Astoria looked up lovingly into his eyes. It took Lucius a moment to realize that the priest had just repeated the line, 'in sickness and in health'. Draco bent down to Astoria and whispered something in her ear. It was her turn to start crying now. Lucius knew he'd said, "I truly promise,"

The ceremony ended in a passionate, true-love's kiss between the bride and groom. Everyone applauded (and a lot more people thatn just the two families were crying—they all must've known about Astoria's sickness and Draco's resolve to protect her) and followed the couple out of the church. Somewhere down the aisle, Draco swept his bride up into his arms, carrying her outside. He caught his father's eye briefly. Lucius gave him a proud nod. On the happiest occasion since the bloody war, Lucius finally found himself at peace for whatever reason—perhaps it was mainly because he accepted the help of others, he'd listened, and overall worked to mold himself into a better person. Today was the first day he'd actually felt the fruits of his labors.


	10. Chapter 10

**This is a short one because I had to use it as a bridge between that last chapter and the one following this. I hope you like it. It's just a sort of what-happens-in-the-new-little-house-daily kind of experience. Like I said, the next chapter will be better. Thank you for all the wonderful reviews! :)**

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Astoria stood in the kitchen of the small cottage, stirring a pot of French onion soup. She'd been living the married life with Draco for many months now. Every single day was new, every kiss was like the first. It seemed that their relationship could never just lose its magic. After much convincing and proving that she was fine on her own for a few hours, Draco got a job at the Ministry—a quiet, low-key, normal job that made him feel a bit more like a typical young wizarding male. She stayed at home, resting and preparing dinner for the two of them, completely happy with their loving arrangement. Once or twice Narcissa came over for tea just to make sure that her daughter-in-law was alright. The company was refreshing, but Astoria had not a single bad thing to say about the way her life with Draco was going.

Astoria grinned to herself as she reflected upon her luck. Just to think; a little over a year ago, being married was the farthest thing from her mind as she was literally dying on the streets of Diagon Alley. Now, she had her biological family back, she had a new family that cared for her just as much, and she had a wonderful life with a man she'd never expected to be who he was. She carefully added some spices to the soup. This dinner had to be as perfect as every other one she made, just because it was for him. He deserved the best.

The small cottage door opened, a gentle voice calling out for his wife. Astoria playfully didn't answer in hopes he would set out on a house-wide search for her. Sure enough, silence ensued; Draco was sneaking up behind her. With a swift motion, he threw his arms around her from behind, laughing, "There's my beautiful girl!" He leaned down and planted a kiss on her cheek, causing her to giggle even more. Draco moved his kisses down her jawline and onto her neck. Astoria gasped. "Draco, not now! We haven't even had dinner yet!"

"So what if we didn't?"

"You must be starving; if we don't eat now, the soup will be cold!"

Draco frowned a bit, a playful pout, and sighed. "As long as you promise me that _you'll_ stay so warm until after dinner." he winked. She smiled slyly. "Only if you help me," It would've been a highly seductive and passionate moment had the two not immediately start giggling at their own flirting. Astoria ladled the soup into two bowls, joining Draco at the little table. "How was work today?" she asked.

"It went alright. People don't really bother me that much throughout the day, so it's relatively quiet."

"Are you happy about that?"

"Well…I suppose. I can get a lot done with no interruptions."

"No one talks to you at all, do they?"

"…It's fine, really. I'm much more productive—"

"You're hurt by it,"

She saw Draco sigh a little as he stared into his soup. She had always been good at reading the emotions of others (that was why she was in Hufflepuff, after all), but once the curse sickened her, she wasn't as able to reach as deep. Now that she was nearly revived she found herself using it a lot on her husband. "Just a bit," he murmured almost inaudibly. She patted his bony hand across the table. "I just feel like I'm in school again," he whispered, hurt behind his voice. "They whisper about me. They take alternate paths when they see me coming towards them. They make quick excuses when I ask if I can sit with them at lunch hour. …It just…makes me feel like an outsider again."

"Do you think it's because of me?"

"Of you? Darling, why would you say that?"

"'Draco Malfoy used Dark magic on a younger girl, but married her to cover it up'—do you think that's what they're saying when they whisper?"

"…I don't know, dear. It could be. People enjoy rumors and gossip and ridiculous lies. But I think they know how badly you're suffering. I don't believe that they would go so far as to hurt you even farther personally."

"If…if you don't feel comfortable in that job—"

"No! No, it's fine, really. I like the work I do. It's filing stuff and office-sort of dealings. It's not bad. I can do it…."

Astoria sensed that there was something else bothering her husband, just by the way that he hadn't really eaten much of his soup. He picked up his spoon, scooped up some broth, and watched it fall back into the cup. Repeatedly. He wouldn't look at her. "Is there anything else upsetting you, love?" she asked gently. He dropped his spoon, finally looking up to face her. His eyes brimmed with tears. "I saw Harry Potter today," he blurted out. This prompted her to put her own spoon down, giving him a slight nod to encourage him to just tell her everything. "He and I…I saw him down the hallway a bit just after the other men had told me I couldn't sit and eat lunch with them because they were 'in discussion'. What he was doing there, I don't know. But…of course he caught my eye. I tried to just put my head down and walk away, until I saw him following me. He was actually _following_ me, Astoria. As if he still believed I was up to no good! As if he—didn't trust me…."

"Draco, it's alright. I'm positive that it wasn't for any reason like that."

"It was just the way…the way he did it that reminded me of school. It was just like when we were at Hogwarts. Just like it. It made me upset and scared…and I regret to admit that…I went back to my office and I cried. I sat at my desk with my head in my hands and I just cried. I wanted you there to comfort me. It just…just…."

"Oh, Draco…."

"Don't tell my father about that last part. Or my mother when she comes for tea. They're much closer now, and I'm sure she wouldn't hesitate in letting it slip."

"I wouldn't tell either of them, love. But perhaps I can ease your hurt with something."

Astoria stood up from the kitchen table, aware of the way Draco's eyes still trailed down her body even when he was upset about something, and walked towards the kitchen counter. She picked up an envelope that was resting there. "An owl came to the window late this afternoon. I thought it was another note from you, so I accidentally fed the thing some crackers and opened the letter. Apparently it wasn't your idea for tonight's dinner as I'd thought, but it was from Harry Potter himself." she explained, blushing a bit at the fact that she'd already accidentally opened his mail. They usually sent quick little notes back and forth throughout the day just to check in with one another, mainly full of silly love-quotes and expressions of their unending affection. Seeing a different colored owl at the window had confused Astoria, but she'd accepted it anyway. Draco's eyes were wide, his jaw set. "H-He…"

"He sent you a letter just after this little encounter, I believe. Just going by the timeframe you'd given me. It was right after lunch. I'm sorry I read it, Draco. I truly am."

"Don't be sorry, love. It's nothing to hide."

Draco's eyes scanned the letter over and over. "He's apologizing…." he whispered. "Here—I'll read it to you, and you tell me how a Hufflepuff would interpret it.

_Draco Malfoy and Wife,_

_Congratulations on your marriage a few months previous. I would've said it sooner, but I didn't want to interfere in your happy time together. My friend Hermione Granger showed me a few pictures from the ceremony (she said she kept in touch with Astoria's brother) and I must say, the two of you looked stunning. But enough of my awkward opinions. Draco, I would like to apologize for our brief encounter today. I saw you too late and wanted to grab a chance to talk to you a bit. But I saw how afraid you looked when I tried to follow you to get your attention, so I just left you alone. I'm sorry that was so strange of me to do. I didn't want to just call your name out or run towards you—I feared that would set you off even more. I see the way things are between us, and that's alright with me. I understand if you don't want to talk or anything. I'm really only writing to apologize for my behavior today. Don't write back, don't feel like this is any kind of olive branch. I just wanted you to know that I wasn't trying to upset you._

_~Harry J. Potter_

Astoria watched Draco's facial expression soften, eventually melting. Tears sprang up in his eyes. "He…he…." Draco couldn't finish. Astoria stroked his silky blonde hair from where she was standing behind him. "He said not to write back. You don't have to feel pressured, Draco. This is exactly what you needed to hear—it's not that he doesn't trust you, it's just that the time isn't there yet. You two might need years before you can even acknowledge each other. But he's saying that's alright." she explained gently. Draco rubbed his eyes. He set the the letter down and looked up at his wife, half-smiling in gratitude. She winked. "How was that for a Hufflepuff's view?" He laughed a bit, then pulled her face down for a kiss. Draco nodded. "Thank you," he whispered to her sincerely.

Astoria and Draco always spent at least half-an-hour before bed reading in the small living room together. They had separate books, but that didn't mean that had to sit apart from each other. After completing the dish-washing together, Draco would sweep Astoria into his arms, and carry her to the sitting room. They'd pick up their books and settle down. He always had her sit right on his lap, in his arms, so she could be warm as she read. It was a beautiful thing to them—just sitting and purely enjoying the company of the other without having to think of the right words to express it. Not to mention they would also pull romantic quotes from their readings to use in their little notes sent back and forth during the next day.

As Astoria turned a page in her book, she felt her eyelids slipping closed. Even though her disease was "at bay", she still experienced her normal symptoms—the constant chill, the weakness, the tiredness, etc. Draco looked down when he felt his wife's body slackening a bit. He smiled and kissed her cheek. "You're sleepy," he murmured. She grinned, allowing him to close her book and shift her into his strong (but thin) arms. He carried her into their bedroom. She felt her body come to rest against the soft mattress when he let her go comfortably. Draco began unbuttoning the front of her dress to change her into her nightgown, but she immediately sat bolt upright, blushing. "Draco!" she gasped, earning a grin from him. "I can do that myself!" He leaned forward to plant a warm kiss directly on her lips, mumbling, "And so can I, but which is more enjoyable?" The kiss deepened, the issue of the buttons now completely forgotten.

Astoria sighed in contentment. "Oh, Draco Malfoy, you are a little snake…." she breathed against his lips teasingly. He moved his kisses down to her neck. "That's why I'm a Slytherin…and a Black." he replied. Astoria had never been exactly good at flirting, so the moment she realized that they were both doing it so well, she resisted the urge to giggle as a nervous reflex. "Can I quote you on that?" she asked, smiling down into those beautiful gray eyes. He smirked sultrily. "Oh, of course you can." Astoria sighed when he returned to his loving of her, feeling as if this was so incredibly right. But that little Hufflepuff side of her came out, the one that told her to be just a bit quirky, and before she could stop herself, she playfully said, "Good, because if you keep doing this well, you'll see it in your morning note tomorrow."

Despite the romantic mood that had been set, Draco Malfoy found himself stopping everything to just purely laugh. That little interjection right there was the reason why he loved his wife so incredibly much.


	11. Chapter 11

**I think this chapter's pretty exciting. I hope you really like it! By the way, this isn't the end of the story at all - but _I won't be able to update for about a week_. So just keep that in mind but don't give up on me. I promise you won't regret it! I look forward to hearing from you, and thank you for being so supportive!**

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Draco felt happier today more than most days as he left work. He'd met a new friend, so to speak, and had actually been invited to eat lunch with him rather than having to sit alone in his office. He couldn't wait to tell Astoria. But when he thought about his wife, worry seeped back into his smile—she'd been weakening within the past few months. Sometimes when he'd leave for work in the morning, she would still be asleep (a rare occurrence; she was always around to kiss him goodbye), she would be making dinner and suddenly her knees would give out, and it appeared that her blue eyes had the dark circles under them again. Their silly little notes back and forth weren't returned as quickly by her. Thinking about his ill wife only hastened his departure from work.

Draco Apparated at the front gate of the little cottage, walking briskly down the path and inside. "Darling?" he called out tentatively. What if she didn't answer? Draco removed his cloak and stepped into the living room. Astoria was sitting on the sofa, clasping her frail hands together—not making dinner like usual. "Sweetheart, is…is everything alright?" he whispered, going to sit near her. She remained still. "Astoria," it was a desperate breath now. Why wouldn't she talk to him? She finally turned, sinking into his arms and grasping his shoulders with her weak fingers. "D-Draco…" she gasped out. "The mediwizard came today….H-He asked to check on me, but…he…" Draco gripped her shoulders, searching her tearful eyes for answers. "What did he do to you? What happened?"

"He told me…"

"Astoria, if he did anything to you, I'll—"

"I'm pregnant!"

Draco froze. Did she really just say…? He blinked a bit. No words came to mind at all for her. The tears that were in her eyes previously were now rolling down her cheeks, her gaze almost apologetic. Draco finally reached over and pulled her close to him, pressing his lips against her forehead. "Darling," he breathed. "We're having a baby…." Even though the delight was beginning to take over his speechlessness, Astoria maintained her tearful expression. He cupped her cheek with his hand, grinning at her joyfully. "Astoria…Astoria, what's wrong?" She looked away and sniffled. "I-I…wasn't supposed to get…p-pregnant…."

"What do you mean, darling?"

"He told me that a condition like p-pregnancy would only worsen my sickness. He said that if I ever got pregnant…I wouldn't…live…"

Draco's heart stopped and then sunk right in an instant. "W-What?" he asked in disbelief, knowing that he'd heard correctly. The doctor had told him the same thing a little over a year ago—big changes in her body could result in her getting hurt further. She nodded, wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeve. "H-He asked me…if I would consider taking a s-specific potion he'd created every day of the pregnancy…in order to possibly save the baby."

"What do you mean, save the baby?"

"I-It's possible…that the child could die instead…."

"Like…a miscarriage?"

"Yes…."

"Astoria…everything's going to be fine. We're going to take the potion every day, and…and…you're going to give birth to a beautiful, happy baby. And then you're going to help me raise it; we'll see its first steps, hear its first words, watch it go off to Hogwarts, become a wonderful adult. That's how it's going to happen, Astoria. I…I promise you."

Astoria sank into his arms again, letting him hold her as close to him as possible. "I love you," he whispered. "And whatever happens is not your fault." He felt her whole body shudder, but he knew she was only crying.

The first trimester went rather smoothly, mainly because the baby was only an embryo and wasn't much to lose. Astoria took her potion every single day. She herself declined in strength a bit, but she told Draco that she'd rather be completely incapable of even walking as long as that meant her child would live. They announced their news to Narcissa, Lucius, and the Greengrass family. Immediately, the women began planning all things baby to a tee—just as they had done with the wedding.

The fourth month of the pregnancy was difficult. Astoria went to St. Mungo's twice on account of breathing failure and dangerous falls attributed to weakness. Draco made a paternal decision to take a leave from work so that he could be home with his wife constantly, mainly to make sure nothing hazardous happened to her or their child. The rest of the second trimester only made Astoria sicker. During her sixth month of pregnancy, she couldn't leave her bed.

Narcissa visited her alone one day for tea. "Draco, the two mothers need to chat. The fathers can go elsewhere." she simply stated. Draco immediately understood that he was to let the women have the cottage to themselves. He Apparated to Malfoy Manor to visit with Lucius, leaving his favorite girls alone together. Astoria rose from the sofa to head to the kitchen. "Darling, please sit down. I can summon the tea to brew itself." Narcissa said Astoria sank back, hands on her rounding middle. With a flick of her wand, Narcissa had the tea kettle on the stove, the leaves brewing in water, and steam rising comfortably. She smiled. "Oh, Astoria. You look so beautiful as a pregnant mother." she complimented sincerely.

"I wish I could feel beautiful, Narcissa. I want to enjoy being expectant, but I'm just so worried about everything." Astoria winced.

"Dear, this is supposed to be the most comforting time of your life. You're supposed to feel absolute love completely engulfing you—from your husband who can't wait to meet his baby, from your family that is beyond proud of you, and from within—the child that will forever be yours and yours alone. This is a breathtaking time for you. I couldn't be happier that it's you that's producing me a grandchild."

"I am truly grateful for your words, Narcissa. I just feel like burden all the time. Draco was finally beginning to enjoy work and make friends; but then I had to fall ill again and force him to take a leave. You deserve a healthy grandchild, and yet it's unclear if it will even survive birth. I can't…I can't do this…!"

"No, no. Please don't say that. You're going to be just fine, Astoria. Just fine. Both you and the baby will live."

"But how do you _know?_ Either it will die or I will soon after the birth. It's planned, it's foreseen! Even the doctor told me that!"

"There's one thing that can ensure both of you will live. Do you know what that is?"

"Please tell me so that I can assure my baby is safe and healthy!"

"It's hope,"

Astoria had tears streaming down her face. She sat back against the pillows, her hand on her swelling stomach. Narcissa stared her straight in the eye—firmly, but lovingly. She wanted to get her message across. "H-Hope?" Astoria whispered. The older woman nodded. "It's the cure for everything, I promise. Instead of wondering, instead of wishing or worrying, you must concentrate on the goal and hope that it will become true. I can account for it—during the war, I called upon it a lot."

"T-There's no magic needed for it? Nothing to enhance it?"

"Only your own heart can do that. The more you focus, the more you love, the stronger the hope gets. It's like desire. But instead of pursuing something physically, you're only envisioning it mentally."

"I've hoped for things before in my life…but I don't know if it will help in this—"

"This situation is what needs it most. Because worrying will only further destroy you. Hope adds optimism, positivity, which has been proven to increase one's inner strength. You can do this, Astoria. Just keep your mind open and free of the bad."

"Y-You've…you've used this before?"

"All the time. I hoped that Lucius would be relieved of his…Death Eater duties; he was sentenced to Azkaban. I hoped that Severus would care for my own baby while I couldn't; he fulfilled Draco's impossible deed. I hoped that Harry Potter would spare my son and keep him safe; he assured me on the brink of death that Draco was alright. I hoped that my husband and I would somehow reconnect again, become more loving; you arrived and taught me that was possible. It works, Astoria. It honestly works."

The girl looked up tearfully at her mother-in-law, firmly believing that it did indeed settle things. She nodded. "Thank you…." she whispered. Narcissa stood up, went around the coffee table, and pulled her into a warm embrace that would hopefully dispel any doubts. "I love you," she murmured to her. Astoria gave a weak squeeze. "I love you too…." came her reply.

It was halfway through Astoria's seventh month of pregnancy when Draco stopped worrying so much and just enjoyed the time the love of his life was growing a baby inside of her. While Narcissa coached Astoria on hope, Lucius had assisted Draco in seeing the beauty of a pregnancy and how to care for a woman that was in such a delicate state. As Draco and Astoria lay in bed one night huddled together as usual, he reached out and boldly put his hands on her stomach. Astoria stirred under his touch. "What's the matter, love?" she whispered. He shook his head, smiling. "I just think you look amazing," he answered. "Inside and out." Astoria kissed him on the cheek, grinning at his sweet words. Suddenly, she froze. "Draco," she breathed, moving her own hands up to the swelling area. "I think I can feel it kicking," The two sat up, still focused on her midriff. Indeed, they could sense tiny little hands and feet pushing against their own touches. Draco felt tears began to leak from the corners of his eyes. Astoria gasped, wiping them away gently. "Love, what's wrong? What's the matter? Is everything alright?" she asked. He nodded. "This is just…the most incredible thing I've ever experienced…in my life. The person I love with all that I am is laying here before me, and I'm actually feeling the movements of something that we created together. No one else, but just you and I. I…this is so…" but he couldn't finish, for his voice broke. Astoria kissed him. She had no words as well—both were crying silently and hoping the other wouldn't know in the darkness.

That same seventh month, Draco was in the kitchen, arranging a little tray of biscuits and tea to go enjoy with Astoria in their bedroom. He hummed softly to himself. Things had been going so well with the pregnancy—as disgusting and vile as the potion was, Astoria took it every day for the sake of their child. And her optimism and hope had allowed her to perk a bit in health for short periods of time. Narcissa and Mrs. Greengrass were shopping for baby supplies already, while Lucius and the male Greengrasses civilly debated over which pureblood custom to use when selecting a name for the child—the Greengrass Greek, or the Malfoy constellations? Draco grinned to himself as he pictured his branches of family doing their day-to-day rituals of preparations which technically had two more months to become finalized. He picked up the tray and headed into the bedroom.

What he saw shocked him.

Astoria was laying on her back, staring at the ceiling, hands on her stomach. Pain was etched across her face. "Draco…" she feebly breathed, as if even that took a tremendous amount of energy. "Please…" He dropped the tray to the ground with a smash—every teacup shattered. He was at her bedside in an instant, clutching her hand as he assured her of his presence and straining to hear her barely audible voice. "The baby…" she gasped. "It's…t-time…." His eyes widened. Time? How could it be time when she still had two more months to go? The baby would be premature—or was it even going to be alive after birth? Was it really….? His eyes trailed down to her lower body. It _was_ time. Astoria's water had broken.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you all for being patient in my absence. :) I think this chapter is well-worth the wait! I really hope you like it. There is more to come! Please enjoyyyy! :)**

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In the few minutes he'd had, Draco called for three mediwizards to come assist his wife with birth. He stooped over the bed, clutching her hand, murmuring every single possible way to tell her that he loved her. The typical family mediwizard inspected Astoria first. He shook his head. "She isn't dilated enough. There will be many complications with this process—which means…we won't be able to use magic." he said aloud. "W-What do you mean…?" Draco whispered. The mediwizard looked away from the pained parents as he said, "Usually I would place a strong numbing charm on the mother, then allow her to choose a natural birth or a cesarean section. But Astoria's too weak…and it's far too dangerous." Astoria let out a scream of excruciating pain. Draco kissed her cheek, rubbing her hand with his thumb. He felt incredibly nervous—he regretted to admit to himself that he hadn't felt this nervous about anything since the time he'd held the world's greatest wizard under the mercy of his wand….

The mediwizards all agreed that Draco couldn't be in the room at the time of the birth. It simply wouldn't help things and could possibly worry Astoria even more, thus complicating things. "Before you leave, young Mr. Malfoy," the typical mediwizard said. "We need to decide…er…if things should…well…I'm only trying to find the right words for this….If things go wrong, and only one can be saved…which…"

"Save the baby!" Astoria gasped from the bed as she grasped Draco's hand firmly. His eyes filled with tears in an instant. "A-Astoria…." he softly whimpered. She shook her head, letting out another shriek of terrible pain. "P-Please…let my baby…please save it…" A horrid churning sensation rose in Draco's stomach. He kissed his wife one more time before bidding her goodbye for what might've been the very last time.

He waited in the small hallway right outside the bedroom door. The time passing felt like absolute hours; Astoria's piercing screams and the doctors' shouts made him feel even worse. Birth was going to be extremely hard on her body. Did he really want to lose the love of his life, his destined soulmate, in exchange for a child that he'd never met and would eternally remind him of her? But it was Astoria's choice—she was the mother. He couldn't deny her or else her emotions could weaken her body further. All Draco Malfoy could do was stand by the door, listening to shrieks that sounded like she was being excruciatingly tortured, praying and crying and feeling completely helpless.

Finally, _finally_ the screaming stopped and was replaced by a wailing baby. It took even longer for the bedroom door to creak open and a mediwizard to timidly step out. "Mr. Malfoy, sir," he said as he bowed respectfully. "Congratulations—you are a father. Draco felt a small relief that the baby was alright, but he couldn't stop the next question from flying out of his mouth. "But am I still a husband?" he asked quickly. The man looked down at his little shoes. "Well…for now you are. But I don't exactly know…if…er…She's doing better now, sir. Better than when she was in labor. But it's still a little uncertain as to what the outcome will be. We're taking god care of her though—she should be getting a little more vital every hour we're with her if things go smoothly. You may come in now if you'd like to see your newest little Malfoy." Draco broke out into a cold sweat. Astoria was alright for now, but there was still that chance…. He nodded and followed the mediwizard back into the room.

It wasn't that Draco didn't care about the baby—he just was too stressed about Astoria's condition to really be able to feel overjoyed at the fact that he was a new father. He didn't want to be a single father. But as soon as he peered over the side of a warm little incubator that was obviously conjured by one of the little men, all of his worries were momentarily dispelled. He truly had a perfect child. One of the mediwizards patted him on the back. "It's a boy," he murmured. Draco grinned. A baby boy. An heir. Astoria had done such a good job—the child clearly reflected her beauty even at just seven minutes old. Tears flooded Draco's eyes. "He's…he's…" The mediwizard laughed. "It's alright to feel emotional, Mr. Malfoy. All parents do at this particular moment." he offered. Draco reached out to touch the soft little bundle that was still wailing. His fingertip was almost the size of its cheek. "So tiny…" he whispered. The men nodded. "He's a little preemie. Lucky to be alive too. We had quite a time trying to get him out of the mother safely—it appeared that her water broke and she was having contractions, but the baby himself wouldn't make his way out of the birth canal. With no magic, this was quite a difficult operation. But he's alright now; oxygen's restored, blood is circulating. He's just very low in weight—he'll be a tiny little thing when he grows up."

"Does he…does he have the curse?"

"Have Astoria's Dark curse? We can't be sure yet. It usually takes seven years for magic to become evident in a child, so around his seventh birthday we'll be seeing signs of her symptoms if it was for some odd reason passed down."

"May I…"

"Of course, of course! Let the new father hold his baby boy,"

One mediwizard put the incredibly small bundle into Draco's open arms. They went to Astoria's bedside to give the two some bonding time. The baby wailed. "Shh…don't cry. Daddy's here, don't cry. Shhh…are you worrying about Mummy too? Listen, if anything happens to her, I'll always be able to tell you forever that she gave her own life for you. Did you know that? Mummy told the doctors that if she…if there was a problem, she wanted them…to…save you instead of her." Draco let the tears fall again. The little baby had quieted down, but was squeezing his small eyes closed against the lights. Draco heaved a big sob. "D-Did you get to meet Mummy yet?" he sniffled. "She's very beautiful. You already look like her. Why don't you go see her right now, alright?" Draco slowly carried the small bundle (just as Narcissa had previously shown him how, using a doll wrapped in a towel) over to the bed where his weak wife lay.

Astoria looked disheveled—almost as disheveled as when he'd first seen her on the streets of Diagon Alley. Her breathing was ragged, her face covered in sweat, her face paled beyond white. She couldn't keep her eyes open as she gasped for air. "This is your beautiful Mummy," Draco whispered to the baby. Astoria ever so slightly turned her head towards the sound of his voice. "She's responsive," a mediwizard muttered to the others. Slowly, painstakingly slowly, she raised her arm so that her fingers brushed against Draco's arm. "Senses are returning," they congregated. She waved her hand up once more. Draco bent down and placed a soft kiss on her fingers.

"She's trying to open her eyes,"

Astoria's eyelids fluttered, reveling her gorgeous blue eyes briefly. They were swimming with tears.

"Her motor skills are fading,"

She tried to lace her fingers into Draco's, but kept missing weakly.

"Breathing is constricted now…"

Draco moved his arm down a little so that when Astoria brought her hand up once more, her fingers gently touched the baby's cheek. "It's him," Draco whispered into her ear. "It's our little boy,"

"Heart rate is decreasing…"

A flicker of a smile flashed across Astoria's hallowed face ever so briefly. The tears welled in her husband's eyes again. He asked if she wanted to name him.

"We're losing her, we're losing her!"

Astoria's head lolled to one side as her final moments drew nearer. Draco felt like throwing up. The baby wailed. The doctors all rushed to her side, pushing potions into her veins, dragging camp cloths across her forehead, checking her pulse. One looked at Draco directly. It felt like everything was moving in slow motion.

"Say your goodbyes, Mr. Malfoy…"

And then suddenly, it hit him. Love. Love and happiness revived her from the depression and degeneration of the Dark curse. Draco threw himself onto the bed with her, the baby screaming in confused terror, and kissed her on the lips as passionately as he could. He also reached down and grabbed her frail hand, moving it up and wrapping it around the extremely small hand of their baby.

"She's turned her head!"

Astoria shifted slightly to meet Draco's lips more firmly. Her fingers tightened a fraction around her baby's hand.

"Breathing is deepening!"

Draco broke the kiss but kept his forehead pressed to hers. "I love you so much. You are my world." he whispered to her and her alone.

"She's opening her eyes now…slowly…!"

Astoria's blue eyes looked hazily into her husband's. She wasn't entirely alert yet, but it sure was a start. Draco smiled at her, feeling the strength returning only a little bit. He pressed their little child against her breast. "He's ours," he whispered. "Look at how beautiful he is." Astoria didn't take her eyes off of Draco. But she did reach up and touch the bundle again. By this time, the baby had stopped crying at the contact of his mother and was instead making normal infant babbles.

"Someone get a hold of the parents and the in-laws!"

Draco grinned now, knowing that Astoria was going to be alright. His parents were coming, her brother and sister and parents were coming, and she had her own little family snuggled up beside her. It was going to be alright. They were in the clear now. She could do this. Draco could do this.

"The women just said they're Apparating because they can't wait!"

The flicker of a smile flashed across Astoria's beautiful pink lips again. Draco laughed. "They're all coming to see our perfect child," he told her quietly amid the chaos of so many people rushing into the house at once, and the mediwizards being extremely flustered. Astoria reached up and put her index finger on Draco's chest weakly. She then moved it down onto the baby's soft blanket. "The baby? Yes, he's a boy like me. That's right, Astoria." Draco murmured. She repeated her motions. Apparently, that wasn't what she'd meant. "He looks like me?" Draco attempted. Astoria repeated again, but this time, she flexed her fingers into the air after pointing. "Name?" Draco guessed, delighting in seeing her breathe a sigh of relief. "You want me to name him? Are you telling me to give him a name, Astoria?" The girl nodded, the smile flashing again. "Your family tradition or mine? Which do you want, Astoria?" Draco made sure he was speaking slowly and clearly to her so she wouldn't be overwhelmed. She put her index finger on his chest. "Mine," he breathed. "Alright…alright, my family tradition. Stars, Astoria. Stars and constellations in the night sky. He should be named something that means strong and smart—because his Mummy is both of those things. How about…how about Moon?" Draco teased, laughing when Astoria's smile remained on her face. "No Moon. How about…Little Dipper?" This time, he earned a breathy giggle. Overwhelmed with joy, Draco laughed. "I'm only kidding. Right then…what about…" he looked down into his newborn's face—the boy was just beginning to open his eyes ever so slightly. Silver eyes. He had silver eyes. "What about Scorpius?" Draco suggested. To his even greater delight, Astoria raised both hands and weakly clapped them together three times. She approved. "Scorpius Malfoy. I love it." Draco said thoughtfully. Astoria leaned her head back again, closing her eyes. "S-S…S-Scor…pius…" she breathed almost inaudibly. Her husband gasped. She'd spoken. Her strength was returning—she was going to be alright. Just then, the bedroom door burst open. Daphne, Mrs. Greengrass, and Narcissa shoved in, all wanting to be first, and beamed at the sight of their children and grandchild.

The peaceful silence only lasted for about five seconds, because immediately the women bustled around them, pulling out bags and summoning things out of midair. Baby things. Bibs, blankets, clothes, stuffed animals—everything for a child that was so premature he hadn't even opened his eyes to see them. Narcissa immediately removed the standard blue cap from the doctors and replaced it with a hand-knitted one that was plushy and fuzzy. "Look how cute he is!" she cooed to the others, who all agreed. Draco wrapped his arms tighter around his little son, smiling but feeling a bit claustrophobic. "Mother…" he mumbled, trying to free himself of the big kiss she was planting on his cheek.

Bazel, Mr. Greengrass, and Lucius stepped in next, much calmer than the bouncing women but excitement gleaming in their eyes. "What a good-looking young man," Mr. Greengrass laughed. Astoria was shaking from fatigue, but stayed conscious during the ordeal. Lucius patted Draco's shoulder. He gave him a proud nod and a smile. Bazel, however, seemed to be the calmest. No wonder he was a friend of the Granger. "I hope you have chosen a suitable name for the child—his looks, his inherited logic, his struggle. Does the baby have a name yet?" he said, immediately causing everyone to silence. Draco nodded as he rocked the child.

"S-S…Scorpius…"

Everyone looked from Draco to the baby, not believing what they'd just heard. But the faint voice belonged to the mother. Astoria had turned her head to look at them all, her eyes drooping (as if just that whisper took an incredible amount of energy from her). They all looked around, tears on every cheek of every person, including the doctors. Astoria gasped weakly, reached blindly for her husband's arm. She smiled briefly at her loving family. Bazel nodded approvingly. Lucius wrapped a bawling Narcissa into his arms. Daphne squealed about being an aunt. Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass expressed their love of the selection. Draco felt tears pouring down his cheeks as he looked at his wife. "I am so proud of you," he whispered into her ear. "I get more and more proud of you every single day we're together. And every single day, I fall in love with you even more." Astoria smiled. He moved her arms and supported them with his own, placing baby Scorpius into them so the mother could hold her baby for the first time.


	13. Chapter 13

**I think this one is a bit shorter than the previous chapters, but I packed some pretty heavy feels into it. ;) I love that you guys are totally into this story. That makes me so happy to hear such positive reviews! Thank you to every single one of my readers - you all make the story live! Enjoy!**

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Astoria and Scorpius both spent several weeks under intensive care from the mediwizards. Both were weak and extremely vulnerable, but getting stronger a little more every day. Draco barely ever left the bedroom—he wanted to be watchful of his new little family, considering he was the healthiest and could be ready to help, should something go wrong. He held Scorpius, rocked him, kept him warm. He never imagined the amount of love he felt when looking into the face of his newborn child—it was like something he'd never experienced before. Astoria got stronger a bit quicker than did Scorpius. She took to breastfeeding him often, and accepted warm soup her husband cooked for her. She and Draco already had a very close relationship, but having a baby to take care of together only brought them together more, if it was even possible. The medizards hovered about for most of the day, but the parents got plenty of alone time with their son to form a whole new bond between the three family members.

A few weeks later, Astoria was healthy enough to leave her bed. Scorpius was still a little too tiny, and just a tad underdeveloped. But he was stable, and that was all the parents (and the mediwizard) needed to know to call the Malfoys and ask to bring him to the Manor for a visit. Draco stood in front of the little fireplace as he waited for the powder to summon his mother. Narcissa's head popped into the flames. "Draco!" she cried out, beaming. "How are things? Is Astoria alright? What about my wonderful little grandson? Are you getting enough sleep every night, or are you worrying too much? Is—"

"Mother, everything's fine. Astoria's doing much better, Scorpius sleeps a lot because he's still growing, and I'm getting enough rest. I promise. I was wondering if maybe you'd like to have Scorpius come over to the Manor this week. He's more alert now and his eyes have opened, so you'll get to see him as a healthier baby."

"Oh, darling, I would love that. Bring him over tomorrow! I can't wait to see him any longer! It's been exceptionally challenging just sitting here wondering how my family is doing with hardly any communication. It's not your fault dear—sometimes those mediwizards do their jobs a bit too seriously. Please bring Scorpius over, and I would like to see Astoria too."

"Alright, Mother. Does noon sound alright?"

"It's perfect. I'll have lunch ready for you as soon as you arrive. Oh, and Draco? Don't worry about bringing anything; I've designated one of the spare rooms to be a nursery for the times Scorpius comes over. There's a crib, bottles, pacifiers, diapers, toys, bibs, baby food, a mobile, and blankets."

"Goodness, Mother, you certainly _have_ been waiting for this."

"Of course! Idylla and I designed it all. By the way, tell Astoria that her family as a nursery now too. We had them match."

Astoria, who was sitting on the sofa, couldn't suppress a giggle. Narcissa waved to her from the fireplace. "Oh there she is! Hello my dear. You look beautiful as ever." she said. Draco laughed too. "Alright, Mother, we'll see you tomorrow then. I don't want to hold you up any longer."

"No trouble, love. I'll tell your father you're coming. He'd love to see his little grandson."

"Mother wait! Before you go! Can you please tell Kirry that we'll be arriving tomorrow? She said she would be waiting to see our child if we ever had one. I think she would enjoy the anticipation."

"You're so thoughtful, Draco. I'll tell her immediately."

The mother and son bid each other goodbye as Narcissa disappeared from the flames. Draco turned to face his wife. "No need to pack," he informed her, earning a rapture of giggles from that sweet voice.

The next day, Draco and Astoria arrived at the gates of Malfoy manner, holding little Scorpius in a tight bundle. The moment they entered the house, Narcissa had her arms around them both warmly. Astoria held the blankets out to her mother-in-law. "You may hold him if you'd like," she murmured, leaning against her husband for physical support. Narcissa was more than bubbly with this invitation. She squealed and talked a mile a minute to the little baby that simply watched her face with wide silvery eyes.

Lucius entered the sitting room, pleased to see his son. "Draco," he greeted formally. "I'm thrilled you have come. Astoria, it's wonderful to see you again too." But immediately his eyes were drawn to the blue softness in Narcissa's arms. They sparkled with delight—something Draco hadn't seen in quite some time. "And my little Scorpius…" he cooed, reaching out to stroke the tiny cheek with his index finger. Scorpius made a few babbles. Once the greetings were through, Narcissa eagerly brought the new parents up to her precious nursery. What she'd said in her firechat was completely an understatement—the room was a full-blown daycare center. It had absolutely every a child could need from newborn to kindergartener and then some. Astoria placed her child in the crib to watch what he did. He cried a little at the sudden separation, but then seemed to enjoy it when Lucius used his wand to make the mobile above him spin in repeating circles. Narcissa sighed happily. Draco turned to her while his wife and father were distracted with the baby. "Mother, forgive me for asking," he began. "But you seem so much happier now than I've ever, _ever_ seen you. Is…is everything…alright, I suppose?" She smiled, then stroked his cheek lovingly. "What could I possibly have to be sad about? My perfect son married a wonderful girl, they overcame the hardships and granted me a beautiful grandchild—and an heir, at that—who is breathtaking, I have money to do whatever I want, I made a wonderful new family friend to play decorator with, and your father and I are…well…back to being as intimate as we were when we were young."

"Goodness, Mother, please don't go into detail about—!"

"Everything in my life is perfect now, Draco. Absolutely everything. We're not…we're not a broken family anymore. We've moved on. I'm free."

Draco knew what his mother meant by that last part. He nodded, smiling sadly at her. He kissed her soft cheek. "I'm so glad you're at peace now," he murmured. Lucius was speaking quietly to Astoria by the cradle; things seemed to be going well. "He's a little thing, isn't he?" the man remarked.

"Yes, but the doctors say that he'll grow fairly soon. He'll always be on the smaller side." Astoria answered.

"Because he was so premature…"

"Unfortunately,"

"Unfortunately? We only got to meet him sooner! I don't see it as a bad thing."

"Of course, Master Lucius, I just meant that he might feel self-conscious about it later in life."

"That's where his grandfather will come in and teach him how to be big and strong."

Astoria smiled at Lucius, and Draco was pleased to see his father turn his head to look at her and give her a smile in response. They let it linger for a moment. Lucius stepped away from the cradle and called out, "Kirry! Here!" Instantly, the wizened little house-elf appeared in the nursery. Her eyes went as wide as full-size dinner plates. "Master Draco sir!" she gasped. "Little Mistress! Kirry is most pleased to being see you pairs!" Draco smiled at her as he knelt onto the ground. "We're happy to see you too, Kirry." The small creature trembled a bit. "Master Draco sir, you is looking so big man! You is a grownup now! And…and Little Mistress isn't being so little anymore! Little mistress is looks like a women like Mistress Narcissa!"

"We've gotten a bit older since we last saw you, Kirry, that's true. It's been a little less than two and a half years." Draco murmured.

"Kirry is not knowing what to be said! Kirry is feel so happy Master Draco sir and Little Mistress has returning to see Kirry!"

"We have someone we'd like you to meet."

"Kirry is not being presentable to be met with anyone Master Draco sir is knowing. Master Draco sir be a very important man now, and should not being waste it with disgusting Kirry—"

"Kirry, wait, calm down. It's alright. He's not going to think low of you—he's going to really like you. Do you remember that time when I was talking to you all those years ago? When I told you all of my feelings and my fears and everything?"

"Kirry is never forgetting her times with Master Draco sir. Kirry remember that times as when Master Draco sir is telling that he want to marry Little Mistress to keeps her safe forever and ever!"

"That's right. And do you remember what you told me?"

"Kirry is tell Master Draco sir to be marry to her, and keeps her safe forever and ever, and makes lots of baby Master Draco sirs and Little Mistresses."

"…Would you like to meet him?"

Draco didn't think that Kirry's eyes could anatomically get any bigger, but they did. Her little jaw hung open to the floor, babbling useless words she could not find at the moment. Astoria lifted Scorpius from his crib. She knelt down beside Draco and held him out to the house-elf. "His name is Scorpius," she murmured gently. Kirry gaped at the baby as if frozen. "M-Master Draco sir…Little Mistress…maked a baby…" she whispered to herself. "It is being a little Master Draco sir….Kirry is allowed to being touch the baby, Little Mistress?" Astoria nodded with a smile on her face. "You can hold him if you'd like."

Draco watched as Kirry took the baby into her arms, still in complete shock, and had hot tears spring into her eyes. "Little baby is most beautiful…." she whispered. "Little baby is just like Master Draco sir and Little Mistress. Kirry is feel incredibly honored to hold such good baby." Draco glanced over at his wife. Astoria had tears in her eyes as she viewed this scene of complete and utter love. Narcissa had tears too; Lucius was smiling. Kirry rocked Scorpius for a long time, murmuring things to him, whispering to herself, asking questions about him, and trying to make sense of his babbles. When Scorpius was lulled to sleep in the house-elf's arms, she handed him back to Astoria. Before he was completely apart from her, she bent down and kissed his tiny forehead. "Kirry is adore little Master Draco sir." she breathed. Lucius helped put the baby back in his crib. All of them tiptoed out of the room to let Scorpius nap in peace.


	14. Chapter 14

**It honestly took me a longer time to write this. I wanted it to be emotional yet still make sense. So let me know what you think! Did I do it right? You are all awesome for your support of this story :)**

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Draco never imagined parenting to be as easy as it was for him and Astoria. Ever. Scorpius was already three years old and neither of them had had a big argument. When he asked his father why this was, Lucius answered him, "It's probably because you two are soulmates. If things work out themselves, then you know you two are completely compatible. Your mother and I only argued because of our…circumstances. I made some bad decisions. But if you keep Astoria happy and choose to do the right things, then you'll have a very successful marriage." Draco found his words to be quite true. He was back to working at the Ministry now, considering Astoria was healthy enough to care for herself and for little Scorpius, and had a better time there than before his child was born. Draco often caught himself wondering why his life was so perfect…and did he deserve it?

After coming home from work one day, Draco kissed the top of Astoria's head and scooped little Scorpius into his arms from the sitting room floor. "My two favorite people!" he cooed. Scorpius giggled happily. Astoria grinned at him from her place at the stove. "How was work, dear?" she asked. "It went well, thank you. I'm about finished with that reconstruction project on the Forbidden Forest. My part was just to calculate the area of regeneration, but some people have it a lot rougher." he explained with a chuckle. A low rumble sounded from the skies—a summer thunderstorm was nearing. Scorpius whimpered, clutching his soft stuffed dragon close to him. "Daddy…" he cried. Astoria went around to sit across from Draco on the floor. "It's been thundering a bit all day. He doesn't seem to like the sound—either he's been glued to my side or hiding in a corner with his toys." she informed her husband. Draco kissed the top of his son's tiny head. "Does the thunder scare you, baby?" he murmured, earning a nod. "Well you stay right here next to Daddy. I'll keep you away from the scary sounds. Alright?" Scorpius snuggled closer as a rumble resounded.

Astoria used to her wand to summon a letter off the kitchen counter. "You got some mail today," she said, catching it easily with her left hand. "The owl came around noon. I didn't open it—I don't want to invade your privacy at all." Draco glanced up from rocking Scorpius on his lap. "Who's it from?" he asked.

"Hermione Granger,"

Draco paled. He immediately averted his eyes from Astoria as his breathing quickened. Scorpius reached his little hands out for his mother, asking to be tickled. Draco let him slink out of his arms and toddle over to her. He giggled without a care in the world. Draco, however, still hadn't said anything for quite some time now. He just silently observed Astoria wiggling her fingernails against their son's tummy, listening to the little shrieks of delight. After several minutes, Astoria held the letter out to him. "Sorry, I forgot to hand it to you after all that—" But she was interrupted as Draco shoved her hand away. "Don't!" he angrily said. Astoria froze, staring at him with wide eyes. "Draco, are you—"

"No I'm not going to open that letter, now get it out of my sight before I set it on fire!" he shouted.

"Darling, I wasn't going to ask—"

"I told you to do something; now do as I say!"

Astoria stared at him as if he were a stranger. Draco hadn't even looked at her. He kept his head down and his hands in his lap the entire time during and after his outburst. Scorpius begged for more tickles, but Astoria was not hearing him. The silent staring last minutes. Finally, she began to rise. "Well," she said quietly. "Should I continue making supper, or should I wait for you to order to me do it?" Immediately she swept away, not even explaining her sudden absence to Scorpius, who sat up from the floor and confusedly called, "Mummy?" Draco felt himself shaking. It had happened—the Lucius had come out in him. The entire dinner preparation was completely silent, save for the giggles from Scorpius who had now asked his father to set up the blocks into a tower for him to repeatedly knock down. After a little while of this game, the boy raised his silver eyes to him. "Daddy?" he asked. "Are you feeling sad?" Draco knew tears were coming to his eyes. "Daddy?" He pulled his sleeves down as far as they could go on his wrists—had it always been this cold in the house? "Daddy!" He squeezed his eyes closed as Scorpius began to sob from being ignored. Please block out that crying….please make it stop….

Astoria had come out of the kitchen again to see why her son was in tears. "Draco!" she sharply called, gathering the baby into her arms and bouncing him. He snapped his head up to look at her. Renewed anger that had nothing to do with his wife surged through his veins. "Can't you just leave me alone?!" he shouted. He meant for it to be gentler—he meant for it to sound like he was asking for just some solitude. But the Lucius had said it differently. Astoria looked thunderstruck. "What on earth is the matter with you, Draco? You've never spoken to me like this before!"

"It's because you don't understand! You have not, do not, and will not ever! Just leave me alone!"

"What did I do? What did I say to you?" she cried out, on the verge of tears.

"I'll tell you what you did! You gave me that letter! You should've known to just burn it and yet you didn't! You saved it out for me _specially!_"

"Draco, you didn't even open it—"

"I honestly don't care, Astoria! I'm not talking about this!"

"…You aren't talking," she softly said. "You're yelling at me."

Draco covered his face and jumped up from the ground. He darted towards their bedroom to get away from his wife and child. Oh god, why did this have to happen? Why did she have to send him that letter? Astoria watched him go. "Don't you leave me, Draco Malfoy! Everyone in my whole life has always left me except for you! And I don't want that to start now!"

"Ask them why they left you, not me!"

"Draco, stop! Don't go! Draco, I'll do anything! I'm…I'm sorry for whatever I did! Draco! Draco, please! Don't!" she was hysterical now, screaming and pleaded as Scorpius wailed in fear at such raised voices and thunder.

"I'm not leaving the house! I just don't want you or him near me right now!" Draco shouted, slamming the bedroom door shut violently.

Astoria stood frozen where she was, letting the tears stream down her face. What had happened? What did she do? She subconsciously bounced Scorpius to appease him as she bit her fingernails. There was so much hurt inside of her—and it was beginning to become physical. She knew that the Dark curse was preying on misfortune and sadness (as well as anger), and the fight with Draco was allowing it to rapidly strengthen. Her head ached. Weakly, she charmed Scorpius's highchair to bounce lightly so that he would be appeased when he sat in it. Sniffling, she finished cooking dinner to only be enjoyed by herself and the baby.

Draco paced in the bedroom. Why had Granger sent the letter? Didn't these three know what communication with them did to him? It was been so long, _so long_ since he'd felt like this—before Scorpius was even conceived. Why did they feel it was alright to try to talk to him again when he plainly did not accept the last invitation? Oh god how everything ached on him. All he wanted to do was explain to Astoria that he felt an incredible weight of guilt upon his shoulders for what happened to those three—especially the Mud…Granger. But that would look absolutely pathetic; to be afraid of people his own age, people he went to school with, people he'd longed to make fear _him_. She wouldn't understand. She was a Hufflepuff—Hufflepuffs were friends with everyone. Before he knew it, it was already eight o'clock. Bedtime for Scorpius. Just as he realized it, he heard a gleeful laugh echo from the adjoining sitting room through the door.

Draco cracked the door open a tiny bit. Astoria was sitting on the sofa with Scorpius on her lap, opening one of his favorite storybooks. It was reading time. Usually Draco sat on his left, Astoria on his right, with him in the middle. They always took turns with the pages and watched him absorb the story as if he had never even heard it before. Every single night. His heart hurt at the thought of Astoria doing this herself—he had left her. Just like everyone else in her family. But Scorpius never did. He would always be there for her. Draco lowered his eyes as he slid back into the room. But suddenly, he noticed something on the ground in front of the door.

Astoria had put a plate of his favorite food there, set with a heating charm so it wouldn't spoil.

Scorpius clapped his little hands. "Again! Again!" he exclaimed. Astoria rubbed her sore eyes, smiling through her sadness. "One more time? Just one more—you've got to get to sleep so you aren't tired and cranky."

"Daddy!"

"W-What?"

"Daddy reads this page!"

"N-Not…not right now, sweetie. Daddy's…sleeping."

"Daddy's mad at Mummy,"

Astoria felt her breath hitch. How did her three-year-old interpret this altercation? "Why Daddy is mad?" Scorpius innocently asked out of pure childish curiosity. Astoria shook her head, tears brimming. "I don't know…" she whispered. Scorpius wiggled around a bit so he was facing his mother. "Mummy?" he asked. "Are you feeling sad?" It wasn't uncommon for him to ask questions like these. He was just beginning to understand emotions, thanks to an early-earning book that asked that same question about feelings over and over in the text. Astoria didn't answer. "Daddy's sad too," Scorpius acknowledged. "Mummy and Daddy are both sad." Astoria squeezed her eyes closed and fought against a sob. "Can I make you feel happy?" he asked brightly. There went the walls. Astoria broke down, covering her face in her hands. She felt her airways constricting as the disease gripped her tighter. Her head pounded. Everything was so terrible and bleak. Astoria didn't know how long she was crying for (Scorpius was a very good baby and hardly ever made a disrupting sound), but it must've been a while. Scorpius slid his tiny hand into hers. "Is it the thunder?" he whispered sweetly. Astoria finally looked at him. She attempted a watery smile and shook her head. "No, dear….It's not the thunder. How about we save the extra story for tomorrow night, alright? It's time to get you in bed." she murmured to her compliant son. Scorpius allowed himself to be carried off to the nursery in silence.

A while later, the door opened to the bedroom. Draco was lying on his back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't look at her out of shame and stubbornness. A long silence passed as she dressed for bed in the darkness. "You didn't eat anything," she murmured gently. He could hear tears behind her voice. "I don't care," God, why was everything he was saying coming out so _wrong?_ Astoria sank down onto the bed. "Draco, please just tell me what's bothering you. Do you think I was suspecting you of cheating with her?"

"Don't you dare say that!"

"I'm sorry! It's not what I meant. I just—"

"Not what _you_ meant? This entire argument has been not what I meant to you, Astoria! You just won't understand because you're a Hufflepuff, not a Slytherin with Gryffindor rivalry!"

"This clearly has nothing to do with House interactions, it's about you and her."

"There you go suspecting me again!"

"I did not say a word about anything of the sort! You're just getting too defensive! Whatever this is, you're not telling me because it's clearly big and troublesome! I thought I married the honest Draco!"

Draco froze. "You dare to call me dishonest?"

"I didn't call you that. I just w-want my husband back. Not this…this…this defensive little Slytherin boy!" Astoria cried, more tears making their way down her cheeks.

"It's _her!_ It's _all her!_ Ever since that night at the Manor all I've wanted to do is get her out of my mind!"

It was now Astoria's turn to freeze. What did he mean by 'that night at the Manor'? Did her husband really… "Just talk to me," she begged. Draco drew a deep breath. "When…the Death Eaters had their base at my home…my aunt lived with us permanently. One night the watchmen caught Har—those three and brought them in. They told me to identify them. I didn't want to. I really didn't want to. But if I lied, they'd kill me. They'd kill my whole family. My aunt thought Granger had stolen her sword from her vault at Gringotts…although I knew…she couldn't have. So they threw the other two into the basement and…_she_ kept Granger upstairs. She tortured her. I remember running to my room and just burying my face under every pillow I owned…to drown out the screaming…the screaming…. My mother came in and cried with me; she told me my aunt wasn't well. Father wasn't allowed near us—he had duties to perform. I remember it lasted forever…the torture….And I was later told what my aunt did to her…she carved the word… 'M-Mud…Mudblood' into her arm with a knife…."

Astoria was completely silent—she wasn't looking at Draco. Draco was shivering now as quiet tears slid down his face at the memory. "Your aunt…" Astoria finally whispered. He nodded. "Aunt Bellatrix," It was the first time he'd spoken her name aloud since her death. As a child, he'd loved her because she never obeyed his parents when they told him he couldn't have candy—she would always bring a whole bag over and sneak it to him when the coast was clear. However the older he got, the more the rules changed. It went from breaking rules about candy to breaking rules of society. He found his voice again. "We haven't spoken ever since. Ever. I never wanted to talk to her for the rest of my life. Her husband absolutely abhors me—I don't know why she sent me a letter when she knows I'm not alright with it! What don't they understand about me?!"

"You're misunderstood, Draco. You had too many duties for a boy your age."

"But even now! They won't just _leave me alone!_"

"It's alright, it's alright. You said before that you wanted to burn it? Go ahead and do it. If that will make you feel better, then just do it, Draco."

"…It's more than just the torture though. That was all my fault. If I had said I didn't know them, maybe she wouldn't have those scars….But even when I was a child, Father would always be disappointed that I came in second in my year—that a M-Mud…that should would come in first. I hated her all that time because it was her fault I couldn't make my father proud. And then when I heard her being tortured…oh god, all I wanted to do was take it all back."

"I'll burn every letter that ever comes here from them. Any of them. Potter, Weasely, Granger. I won't even tell you they arrived, alright? And if they're insistent, I'll write to them myself."

Draco nodded. He felt like such a baby—he'd thrown a temper tantrum the whole night because he couldn't man up and burn a letter. What would his father say about this? Yet there was his wife, who took the brunt of all his rage, sitting by him and promising to do her job better. Better? He had the best! How could she possibly get better? "I'm sorry," she whispered. Draco immediately sat up, stunned by these words. "What? Why are you sorry?" he asked.

"For arguing. I should've just let you have your space when you needed it. I shouldn't have went into my speech about being left by everyone and trying to guilt you into talking to me. I wish I had just let you go and then discussed it when you were ready. I wish I understood sooner."

"No….No, Astoria, please…don't say those things. No…you didn't do anything wrong. I was the one that acted worse than Scorpius does without a nap. Please don't…please don't think this was any of your fault."

Astoria coughed weakly, the disease infecting her systems again. Draco turned and gripped her shoulders. "Oh no…you're getting sicker! This is all my fault! I took away your happiness! I made you feel unloved! I—"

"Draco, no…I did it to myself."

Without another word, Draco pulled her down to lay on the bed with him. He covered the pair of them with blankets. He drew her in as close to him as he could. "Astoria, I'm so sorry that I caused our first fight." Draco whispered. She stroked his cheek lovingly. "I'm sorry that I didn't just put a stop to it while I could," she answered. The two shared a kiss that was gentle and apologetic. Astoria shivered as a wave of warmth overtook the ball of ice that had settled inside of her form the Dark curse. "We'll never fight again, I promise…" Draco breathed as he closed his eyes and kissed her once more. The two met lips until Draco fell asleep. Once she was sure he was out, Astoria used her wand to silently summon the letter into the room. When it hovered in front of her face, she squeezed her eyes closed and flicked her wand. _Incendio_.


	15. Chapter 15

**I hope this chapter moves a little quicker. Please enjoy this and let me know your thoughts! :)**

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Astoria and Draco sat outside on the veranda of the Greengrass's estate with her mother. The sun was warm, the air clean, and the flowers fragrant. The three enjoyed a cool drink as they chatted, mainly about five-year-old Scorpius. Mrs. Greengrass absolutely adored him. She had the whole nursery set up to please him with every kind of toy possible—he was thoroughly enjoying his time there. The proud grandmother sighed. "Who knows? Perhaps little Scoprius may have a brother or sister someday…?" she raised her voice at the end like a question. Draco and Astoria glanced at each other. "N-No, Mother. We're quite content with just one baby." she answered. The woman appeared disappointed. "Oh but Astoria, why? You and Draco are so beautiful—imagine a little girl with those looks!"

"You want a granddaughter?"

"Of course, dear! Every grandmother does! I'm sure Narcissa would agree with me."

"We can't have another child. But I do have two siblings. They could produce you as many girls as you'd like. By the way, where are they?"

"Daphne's on her way out here—she stopped in to get her art materials. She's really taken to realism now. She draws a lot too."

"And Bazel?"

"…He's out for a bit,"

Almost as if on cue, Daphne stepped outside and greeted them. She had in her arms a sketchbook and a few quills. Draco remembered her being quite the artist of the Slytherin house back at Hogwarts, often wondering why she hadn't been put in Ravenclaw with that creative talent. "Have you seen Scorpius around in there lately?" Astoria asked her sister. Daphne nodded. "I saw him carrying a big stuffed rabbit down the halls. He was talking about bringing it to a tea party, so I imagine he's back in the nursery now." she replied. Draco smiled. His son was so playful and intrigued in everything. Some more small talk went on. He really enjoyed spending time with his in-laws, mainly because they'd accepted him so readily. A person with his past and familial background was not so easily welcomed in the wizarding world anymore…

Mrs. Greengrass took a sip of her drink. "Daphne, I was just bothering your sister about having another child. Don't you think she should?" she went on. Draco felt Astoria let out an inaudible sigh of frustration from beside him. He squeezed her hand and smiled at her. Daphne didn't look up from her book. "I'm sure she probably would like to, Mother, but she simply physically can't." There's that Slytherin side. Always logical. Mrs. Greengrass huffed again. "Every grandmother wants a granddaughter though…."

"On the contrary, Lucius wanted an heir. One family just had to be lacking, and honestly, ours has more of a chance of making up for what Astoria didn't have." Daphne calmly refuted. Astoria stiffened slightly.

"What do you mean?" Mrs. Greengrass asked.

"Well, Narcissa and Lucius only had one son. So if they wanted an heir, Astoria was the only one that could give them that. And since her pregnancy was clearly an accident at the time—" Astoria clenched her jaw to keep from cutting in. "—it was imperative that the child be a boy. She wouldn't be able to have a second. It was a one-shot thing. But we have three children in our house, two of which can have as many offspring as desired. Well…I guess only one, considering Bazel is gone—"

"That's enough of that, now dear!" Mrs. Greengrass interrupted quickly. Astoria straightened. "What was that?" she asked. "What did she just say?"

"Nothing, dear! Nothing at all! She said she could give me a little girl because she can have more children than—"

"What did she say about Bazel?"

The silence that ensued told Draco that there was tension. Astoria's piercing blue eyes moved from her sister to her mother. Daphne had gone scarlet. Mrs. Greengrass was pale. Draco just kept holding his wife's hand, which was now rigid in his grip, and averting his gaze from any of the conflict. Tiny footsteps came hurrying across the stone. Scorpius giggled and clamored onto Draco's lap, still attached to the big floppy rabbit. "Look, Daddy!" he squealed. Draco wanted to answer, but his mouth had gone dry. Something was about to happen between the members of the Greengrass family, and he had a suspicion that it would be war; purebloods did not take secrets lightly. "Can I take him home?" Scorpius asked without a care in the world. "Y-You'll have to ask grandma. It's her house, her toys." he stammered. Scorpius looked hopefully across the table. "Please grandma?" he asked sweetly. Mrs. Greengrass was 'grandma' as Mr. Greengrass was 'grandpa'—however it was much more formally with the Malfoys. Scorpius called Narcissa and Lucius 'grandmother' and 'grandfather' respectively. But his cuteness never failed in winning either set of family over. Mrs. Greengrass smiled weakly. "Of course, darling. You can bring him home with you." she murmured. Apparently her mouth was dry too. Scorpius let out a little cheer as he slid off Draco's lap. "Thank you!" he called over his shoulders as he ran back inside the mansion.

Astoria was still staring hard at the women across from her. Daphne hadn't moved since she'd let it slip. "_What did you say?_" Astoria hissed, annunciating every word. Mrs. Greengrass nervously adjusted her neat updo. "We were only protecting you—"

"You already used that excuse when asked why you left me for dead after I was cursed." Astoria bit.

"…Darling, we know how sick you get when you're upset…and telling you just didn't seem like it would do you any good—"

"Where is he?!"

Astoria had never squeezed Draco's hand harder. He tried gently stroking her soft skin with his thumb in an attempt to tell her that he was there for her no matter what happened, but she was focused so intensely on the Greengrass girls. Suddenly Daphne broke down into screaming sobs. "We don't _know_ where he is! He was sent off on a business trip to find new bezoars to cure those poisoned in St. Mungo's, but then he never returned! We heard from his every day for a month and he hasn't sent a letter now for _seven straight weeks!_" Mrs. Greengrass was sobbing too. Draco felt his mouth hanging open at this horrifying news—what if Bazel was dead? What if he was captured and held for ransom and money from his wealthy family? They would never know. Never. Astoria's jaw was set and her eyes were wide. She was paler than she had been in months, even years, really. Her grip slackened in his hand. "Draco," she breathed. "Get Scorpius. We're leaving." He wasn't sure if he should listen to her or not—should she really just leave during such a sensitive time? Mrs. Greengrass lunged across the table for her daughter's hand. "Draco, go!" Astoria gasped out, tears slipping down her face. He gingerly kissed her fingers, then hurried away from the scene into the house.

Panting nervously, he all but ran up the staircase and down the hall to the nursery. Little Scorpius was sitting at a small table with his stuffed rabbit, a toy dragon, and a big-eyed house-elf, pretending to pour imaginary tea for all of them. The house-elf was wearing a floppy hat like ladies in London wore. "Help yourself to a cake. I made them this morning," little Scorpius said sweetly, holding a plate of plastic cookies towards the thing. Draco wanted to smile at the sight. He really did. Scorpius definitely had Hufflepuff blood in him—wanting to be nice to everyone. He looked up innocently. "Hi Daddy," he said. "Want to play with us?" Draco bit his lip. "I would love to, darling, but we have to leave right away. Mummy wanted me to come get you now. Just please come here, come to Daddy, and I'll explain everything once we get home." he murmured gently. The house-elf stared at the man. Draco couldn't quite tell if it was because he was embarrassed at being caught dressed so foolishly or that he knew the reasoning behind the sudden departure. Scorpius frowned a bit. "But I was really looking forward to have tea with Miss Biscuit…." he said thoughtfully. Draco didn't know that house-elves could blush before, but he was completely positive they could after seeing the thing's reaction at being called its playtime-name. Draco reached for his son's hand. "I know, dear. But it's really important. I'm sorry. You'll just have to say goodbye." Scorpius picked up the big stuffed rabbit and took his father's hand. "Go on and finish without me, Miss Biscuit. I trust you'll keep the conversation alive with Mr. Firedragon." he said. Any other day, Draco would've pondered why his little boy was playing tea-party—but he knew that Scorpius was too young for games of good vs. evil and wizarding adventures. Of course the child knew of magic, but he didn't understand it yet. Draco looked behind him as they left the room. The house-elf still sat there, teacup rattling in its long fingers.

As they neared the veranda, shouting could be heard. Scorpius gasped a bit. "Is everything alright, Daddy?" he asked nervously. Draco gulped. "Yes, darling." he dutifully replied. He felt a tug on his sleeve. "Did Mummy fall down again?" Scorpius whispered. The only time the boy was around so much shouting and panic was whenever Astoria would become physically overwhelmed and faint. It didn't happen often, but when it did, it was frightening to him. Draco shook his head. "No, my sweet. Mummy's just fine. She's a bit upset over something though, and we must be very quiet and well-behaved so she doesn't fall down, alright?" Scorpius nodded and allowed for himself to be scooped into his father's arms. They stepped outside.

Astoria was standing up, leaning across the table. The other two women were sobbing endlessly and begging her to understand, say something, do something to help them. But Astoria was shouting. "I am not beneath any of you! I'm part of this family and I have the same rights as every other member!"

"Only trying to keep you healthy—"

"If you had told me, this could've been solved already! Draco works at the Ministry—all I would've had to do was tell him to get someone on it and Bazle could be home right now! They have special people, special organizations to rescue missing persons! But you didn't tell me, you didn't tell poor, frail little Astoria because she might not be able to take it! Look at what you've done now!"

Draco had never _ever_ seen Astoria this angry. Even the one time they'd fought, she wasn't angry—she was more confused and sad. But this was a whole new level of rage. She wasn't even crying. "Please, Astoria!" Daphne cried out. "We only withheld it from you because we love you!" Astoria looked affronted. "Because you love me?! Draco's family has told me everything about them—including the pasts you so despise—and continuously keep me informed about personal things! They send me at least one owl a day inquiring about Scorpius, or asking about me, or telling me further facts about something published in the Daily Prophet; that's something you've never done! You barely keep in touch! And you only write to ask me to bring Scorpius to you—that's it!" Astoria turned her head slightly, and caught Draco standing there with the child in his arms. She pushed back her chair and went to him. Mrs. Greengrass let out a shriek of horror. "_PLEASE!_" she screamed. "Please don't just abandon your family when we're so damaged and broken!" Astoria whipped around, breathing hard. "Why?" she breathed. "You had no problem doing that to me."

With that, she turned and grabbed Draco by the arm. The two hurried off the veranda and inside. Astoria was struggling to get to the front doors, to just leave this place. Draco couldn't blame her. How could her family just constantly want to just cut her out like that? He understood their defense but it was weak—he would side with his wife on the fact that if they'd told her, he himself could've arranged for the Ministry officials to search for Bazel. Scorpius clung to him in fear; he'd never seen his mother so upset. Astoria grasped the handle on the huge doors. "_GO!_" came the shrill scream of someone that had followed them. They turned around. Daphne was leaning forward just a few feet behind them, fists clenched and face streaked with messy tears. "_GO RUN AWAY WITH YOUR DEATH EATER SCUM!_" she spat. Draco cringed. He'd never _ever_ expected to be brought into this. Astoria let go of the handle and stormed towards her sister. _No, please don't hit her Astoria! Please don't fight!_ Draco thought. But suddenly his beautiful wife froze as if she'd walked into a glass wall. Slowly, her hand went up to her chest—a heart pain. The curse. Draco went to her and took her hand. "Astoria, let's just go…" he begged quietly. He wondered if the words 'Death Eater' had anything to do with the spur of her disease. She struggled on her feet a bit, causing Scorpius to fearfully gasp. But Draco managed to pull her away and outside the doors. They safely Apparated back to their little cottage.

Once back home, Draco had his wife lay down in the quiet for a little bit. Little Scorpius obediently went into his nursery and drew with some of his crayons to stay out of the way. He was scared. Draco sat on the bed beside his sobbing Astoria in silence for a long time. It was hard enough hearing that brother may be dead, but to know that her family was purposefully keeping her separated from them (possibly because she married 'Death Eater scum') was extremely difficult for her to bear. Especially after they'd been so apologetic and loving for so long—it truly felt like the worst was over. But things were awful now. Things would need a long time to heal. Draco was quiet and let Astoria cry and shout things just to get them off her chest.

It was hours before Draco heard a startling crash resounding from the kitchen. Astoria raised her head weakly, but he hushed her, promising he'd go take care of everything. He kissed her lips and then hurried out of the bedroom. The cause of the noise shocked him. Scorpius had a big cauldron on the floor of the kitchen, full to the brim with milk and various floating pieces. He'd dropped a whole glass full of olives though. "I'm sorry, Daddy! I'm sorry!" he whimpered. Draco flicked his wand and magically repaired the glass. "I'm so sorry….I was only trying to help…" Scorpius sniffled. Draco knelt beside him and looked inside the cauldron. "What's this, darling?" he asked. The boy wiped his eyes tearfully. "Whenever I feel sad, Mummy makes me some warm soup to feel better. I just wanted to do the same for her!" Draco's heart instantly felt warmer. "Oh, my little sweetheart. You're too wonderful. You're such a sweet boy, so good." He pulled the tiny child into his arms. "I could never be angry at you for doing something so lovely. Here, why don't I help you make the soup and then you can bring it to Mummy. Alright?" Scorpius nodded.

Draco emptied the mess inside the cauldron and began again. He let Scorpius add the ingredients, then poured some into a bowl. The little boy proudly went into the bedroom. "Mummy?" he quietly asked. Astoria sat up a bit and wiped her eyes. "I brought you some soup to make you feel better. And here—I made you card but it's in my pocket. Daddy, can you hold this for a minute? Thank you," Scorpius fidgeted inside his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment decorated with all of his crayon markings. Astoria read it with tears of happiness in her eyes. She hugged and kissed her son over and over again, telling him how much she loved him. Draco put the bowl on her lap. She kissed him too, begging for him to forgive her appearance and behavior. All he could do was smile. There was nothing that could make him love her any less. The three sat together on the bed, enjoying the company of just their own little family, safe in their own house, where there weren't any secrets.


	16. Chapter 16

**Thank you for your reviews and your love! please enjoy this chapter.**

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Draco had to secretly destroy a few angry letters from the Greengrass family so that Astoria couldn't find them and become upset—one of them had even been a Howler from her father. Just as she'd promised to do with messages from Draco's three rivals, he reciprocated and kept the negative mail away from his wife. Narcissa and Lucius became even closer to Astoria after the fight with her family. They wanted to be sure she was aware of the familial love they held for her so that she wouldn't feel abandoned. It was Christmastime and they still had no report from Bazel. Astoria was deeply worried—her health showed it—but the Greengrasses didn't attempt at making amends with her to work through the troubling time together.

Astoria gripped her husband's hand as they hurried along the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley. Scorpius was being babysat at his grandparents' manor while the parents did all of their Christmas shopping. "Come, this way!" she giggled as she led. "I know the perfect present for Scorpius!" Draco sighed and rolled his eyes, but a smile played on his face. "Just like all these other 'perfect presents'?" he teased, gesturing towards the many bags strung on his arms. His wife just grinned at him; they both knew they liked to spoil their little boy during the holidays. However, Draco's smile faltered when he realized he was being dragged into the Weasely's Joke Shop.

When Astoria reached for the doorhandle, he hesitated. "I-I…I think I'll wait out here for you." he nervously said, looking down at the ground. She didn't push him. "If you'd like to, that's fine. But promise me you won't catch a cold?" she said. Draco's smile returned. "I promise, my love." Astoria disappeared through the door and Draco sat down on the steps. He pulled his soft scarf closer to him, thinking about his son and the look on the boy's face every single Christmas morning. He wondered what Narcissa and Lucius were doing with him at that very moment. Draco found that thinking of any of the members of his family during times when he was feeling sad or scared seemed to quell the bad feelings—and it made him appear less likely to explode again. He glanced upward and caught sign of the sign across the door, the one displaying the Weasely name (minus one twin), and felt a shudder ripple through his body. Immediately he pictured a tiny blonde boy smiling widely at him as he hugged his favorite stuffed dragon.

Lucius strode into the sitting room, smiling at his wife. "Cissa, you should be in a chair, not on the floor." he said. Narcissa looked up at him from her cross-legged position. "It's easier to reach him from here. Besides, it's not like anyone's going to look in and see a Malfoy woman refusing to use a chair like a proper lady. I figured you'd be alright with catching me like this." She gave her husband a wink. He entered the room more, seating himself in one of the comfortable armchairs. He couldn't sit on the floor with his wife due to his necessity of a cane. "Where is little Scorpius?" he asked, looking around the high-ceilinged room. "I'm over here, Grandfather!" a joyful voice called out from behind the huge evergreen Christmas tree. Narcissa dipped her hand into a cardboard box beside her and pulled out a silver ball. She attached a hook to it. Scorpius ran into view, smiling at Lucius and holding his hands out to his grandmother. Narcissa gently placed the ornament in his tiny grasp, watching him dash towards the tree again. He hung it ever so carefully upon a branch. Lucius chuckled. "Only the bottom quarter of the tree is decorated!" he remarked. Narcissa smiled too. "I know, dear. But that's all he could reach. I didn't want to use magic—seeing the way he does it just makes the tree more…personal." she answered, earning a sympathetic nod from her husband. Scorpius looked up at them and clapped his hands. "All done!" he gleefully reported. Both of his grandparents clapped with him.

Lucius rose and took Scorpius by the shoulder. "Come, my precious grandson; it's time to decorate with magic." he said. Scorpius squealed with delight. He followed the tall man out to the main foyer. "Now, Scorpius, you're seven years old. Your father tells me you've been showing signs of magic lately." the tall blonde said. "Yes, Grandfather! He tells me I'm going to be a wizard!" Scorpius exclaimed excitedly.

"Well I believe you're going to be a very good wizard indeed. Your mother says she sees your magic in you too."

"I help Mummy clean sometimes. One time last week, Mummy felt ill so I went into the kitchen and tried to make her a potion to feel better."

"Ah, and that's a key magical attribute. Very good. I want to show you what you'll be able to do someday, alright? Watch Grandfather now…"

And with that, Lucius raised his wand. He first pointed it at the front doors. With a circular motion, he caused for a beautiful Christmas wreath to appear, earning a gasp from his little spectator. Lucius grinned. He then pointed his wand to the stairway banisters. He swooped the wand over and over, summoning a silver and green garland to wrap itself around the handrails. Scorpius clapped in enjoyment. Lucius repeatedly flicked his wand to send little bows to all the posts and doorhandles. Scorpius had never seen such advanced magic—his parents usually used regular everyday spells to clean up a mess or to put out a small kitchen fire or to summon a book. This was actually making things appear out of _thin air_. "And for the final touch…" Lucius murmured, pointing his wand directly towards the ceiling. With a loud bang, a shower of silver and gold sparkles drifted down from the chandelier like snow. The tiny boy jumped up and down, trying to catch some. Narcissa spun around as she entered. "I should let you do the decorating more often." she whispered into her husband's ear. He grinned at her.

Draco rubbed his upper arms in attempt to glean some warmth in the frigid air. Astoria was very particular when it came to gift buying, and she was definitely trying to choose wisely in there—it was taking longer than usual. He wondered what she'd found that was so interesting. He wished to see. He wished to be in there with her, murmuring his thoughts about an item. But no matter how much he thought of Narcissa, Lucius, Astoria, or Scorpius, his eyes kept wandering back up to that sign. He was tired of being afraid. He was tired of hiding. Draco Malfoy, with a sudden surge of confidence he'd been lacking for so long, drew himself up and walked through the doors of the Weasely's Joke Shop.

It was warm inside. Comfortable. Lots of children bustled about, all talking to each other about the latest of editions of merchandise. Draco tried to avert his gaze from everyone's eyes. He attempted to block out the whispers some adults shared—"How can he even dare to come in here after what his aunt did!"—in order to find his wife. It took a long time; the store was larger than he thought. Astoria was small, so seeing her amidst so many people was a bit difficult. Finally, he found her standing beside a cage, talking to a tall redheaded man and pointing into the cage at something. Draco recognized that face—the face that used to have a double. He kept his head down as he touched her arm. Astoria seemed surprised to see him, but smiled nonetheless. "Mr. Weasely, this is my husband. He's going to help me select a color." she introduced calmly. Draco glanced at him. "Hello, Draco." he said with a strange tone. It wasn't contempt. It wasn't hate. It was…just business-like. It was relieving to Draco, who simply could do nothing else but nod and reply, "Hello, George." Astoria immediately turned to him, pointing at the fluffly little balls of cuteness that were stumbling around inside the cage. "They're Pygmy Puffs—don't you think Scorpius would just love one? He's been talking about wanting a pet for so long. And Mr. Weasely was telling me that all that fur there doesn't shed, so it won't hurt me in any way. He said they're really friendly and loyal creatures; anyone that shows them love, they'll obey! Oh, I think he'd just adore it, don't you?" she gushed, clearly influenced by the sheer fuzziness of the different-colored animals. Draco felt himself smile. "We can get him one." he decided.

They decided upon green as the best choice for their little one—pink or purple seemed too feminine. Draco held the furball as Astoria paid for it. Behind the counter sat a little redheaded girl, just finishing off a chocolate frog. George remained busy as he made change for Astoria. "Uncle George, may I have another?" she called to him. He glanced over his shoulder. "What would that total you for today?" he replied.

"Five,"

"….Just don't tell your mother."

Astoria smiled, partially at the joke, partially because the Pygmy Puff was trying to wiggle its way into Draco's sleeve. As they left the shop, Draco felt a weight come off of his shoulders.—he'd done it. He'd gotten over his fear of his past and walked right into that shop, he bought something from the Weasely's. He'd given them his money. It was gratifying, really, especially since George hadn't thrown him out on his rump. Once they were down the street a bit, Astoria hopped up on her toes and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I'm proud of you," she whispered. Draco grinned at her. He squeezed her hand. "You give me strength," he murmured. "Now where to next, little miss Christmas?"

When the big day came around, Narcissa and Lucius spent Christmas morning with their family in the little cottage. They watched as Scorpius eagerly opened every present with constant vigor and excitement. His gratitude was always apparent for everything—even the gift from Kirry, which turned out to be handmade socks. However, the Pygmy Puff went over the best. It was the last present; Astoria had wrapped it in a box, poking air holes in the sides. When Scorpius took the lid off, he absolutely squealed with delight. Everyone laughed at the sight of the tiny boy taking it out and letting it sniff him everywhere. "I'm naming him Scruffy." he proudly announced as he stroked its soft fur. The Pygmy Puff seemed to happily approve this name. Scorpius pulled it into a tightly squeezing hug full of affection. Draco kissed his wife's cheek. "You did good," he complimented her selection. She touched the new emerald pendant that hung around her neck. "As did you," she replied. Narcissa leaned close to her. "Oh Draco, you _did_ do good!" she approved at the sight of the necklace. She then reached over and showed Astoria the new ring Lucius had given her as a present, the two girls instantly falling into a chat about their gifts. Lucius gave Draco an approving nod.

An owl tapped at the window with a letter. Draco went to retrieve it, expecting it to be a red envelope holding a Howler meant for the youngest Greengrass. But instead it was a normal letter, marked 'urgent'. Considering his options, Draco decided to just open the letter himself.

_Dear Astoria,_

_Bazel has been rescued. Found in the Himalayas. Safe. They expect him to return home from St. Mungo's in three weeks—mining accident took his arm. But he's ok. Please come to Christmas dinner with us. We miss you and we're sorry for the ten-thousandth time. If you don't come, it's understandable. Just know we have five seats saved for you all at the table (Lucius and Narcissa are welcome too). Merry Christmas, Astoria._

_Daphne._

Time seemed to stop. Bazel was alright. He was injured, but alright. The family was grieving the loss of their daughter—the 'loss' being figurative. They wanted her back. They wanted everyone together for a meal. Everyone. Draco sucked in a deep breath. He walked back into the living room. "Astoria," he said, drawing the attention up. "Your family wrote. They want us over for Christmas dinner. All of us. It's a celebration—Bazel has been found safe." It registered on her face as pure joy, but Draco knew his wife was trying to hide it. "Astoria, it's time to face the fears and the resentment. It's time to move forward." he gently said. Tear sparkled in her eyes. "I know," she whispered. Narcissa took her hand. "But I'm not going alone," Astoria decided. Lucius tenderly patted her shoulder. "You'll never have to. Malfoys help each other." he assured. Another wave of relief crashed over Draco. They were all doing it—they were all leaving the past behind, one step at a time.


	17. Chapter 17

**This is the second-to-last chapter! Just one more and this story will be finished. I'm thinking about doing a sequel, though - maybe one that covers Scorpius's time at Hogwarts...? Let me know what you think about that. Details coming in the next chapter. ALSO: there may be some triggering events in this one. If you feel uncomfortable, please stop reading and just wait til the next part which will be updated tomorrow. I do apologize but I feel it was essential to move the story. Please enjoy!**

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The mediwizard strode into the sitting room. Draco rose the moment he saw him, prepared to have a discussion that concerned only adults—Scorpius was sent to play outside. "Young Mr. Malfoy," the little man greeted. Draco offered him a seat. Once situated, he leaned forward to talk. "I've just done a scan on her." said the doctor. "Everything seems to be doing very well. Her heartbeat sounds good, she has full control of her muscles, her bones are strengthening—all wonderful progress. You should be very proud; you truly helped in her recovery." Draco smiled and nodded a thanks to his family's doctor. "Thank you, sir. I just wanted her to be better."

"And she's done very well indeed. Scorpius is ten now? That means she's progressed even further than I'd calculated in the past."

"I'm glad to hear that it's only getting better from here, sir."

"But,"

"B-But?"

The mediwizard suddenly turned solemn. Draco tried not to look too nervous, but what could there possibly be wrong with Astoria now that she was so much healthier? "The scan revealed something else." the mediwizard said. "I've been doing my job for fifty-four years, and not once has my wand ever failed me. I'm certain about this. But…Astoria has conceived again." Draco didn't gasp. He didn't panic. He just sat stone-still at the impact those words had upon him. "She's…p-pregnant again…" he murmured, more to himself than to the doctor. But the man nodded anyway. "Please don't fear, young Mr. Malfoy. I'm confident about this time. She's so much healthier and so much physically stronger that there shouldn't be any complications. For once, she may actually get to birth like a normal woman." Draco rubbed his hands together nervously. "D-Does she know?" he asked quietly. Again, another nod. The mediwizard stood up, patted Draco's shoulder, and sighed. "Be joyful about this one. There really is nothing to fear." He gave a small smile, then Disapparated.

The young blonde stood up, walking slowly into the bedroom he shared with his wife. He himself was rather elated to hear that Scorpius would have a little sibling—he just didn't know how Astoria would take it. He found her lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling with her hands on her stomach. Despite his concern, he smiled. Draco lay down on the bed beside her, putting his hands over hers and pulling her close. He breathed in the soft scent of her hair. Astoria sighed. "…We've got to get better at planning these pregnancies." she said with a slight giggle. "Why?" Draco asked. "I can't help it when I see you looking so beautiful all the time…" He placed a soft kiss on her jawline, this time earning a grin. His wife turned to face him. "Maybe Mother will finally get her granddaughter." she said.

"And Scorpius will have a sibling,"

"What do you hope it is—a boy or a girl?"

"I hope…it's a girl. Then maybe your mum will be satisfied with me."

"She's satisfied with you now! She just always compares you to Bazel because he's her own. You know how that is."

"Ever since he got out of St. Mungo's he's been closer to her."

"Because she just pulls his leash tighter, that's all."

The two shared a laugh. Draco kissed her cheek again, looking into her eyes. "I honestly love you so much." he whispered. Astoria stroked his cheek. "I love you with all that I am." she replied.

That day, they called Scorpius into the sitting room and sat him down across from them. "Darling," Astoria began. "We have some very big news for you. It means change, but it will be for the better—and I think you'll really like this surprise." Scorpius's eyes lit up at the word 'surprise'. He eagerly looked between his mother and father. Even though he was ten, he still was about the size of a seven- or eight-year-old. Sometimes he acted like it too—since he was born early, his development was a little behind as well. He never threw tantrums or fits, he just liked to be cuddled, he liked collecting stuffed animals, and he had to be on a set daily schedule or else he couldn't handle himself. Draco grinned at his excitement. "Mummy and I have a present for you. But you're going to have to wait a few more months to get it. It's very special." he said. Astoria took his hand. "You're going to have a sibling," she whispered.

The look on Scorpius's face was complete shock, confusion, and elation all at once. He grinned widely, showing all of the recently lost teeth. "A sibling?! Is it a brother or a sister? When will I get to meet them? Can they sleep in my room? Will they have toys?" he rattled off questions at a mile a minute. His parents laughed together. "Don't worry, darling. We'll get everything sorted out. You'll be able to meet your sibling around June—that's only six months from now. Are you excited or nervous?" Draco asked. Scorpius hopped up and down on the pillows of the sofa, squealing so enthusiastically that he didn't hear the question. Astoria looked sideways at her husband. "I think I know the answer." she winked.

Scorpius never diverted a conversation away from the topic of the new baby. He ecstatically told both sets of grandparents of all the games he'd play with it, how much he loved it already, and what he wished it would be like. Narcissa and Lucius reveled in his excitement—he'd never had another child to play with his entire life, and they'd always felt responsible for it. Because of his last name, no parents would ever attempt to schedule a playdate with him or let their offspring get close. Scorpius didn't know. But Narcissa and Lucius always privately discussed it. Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass were also pleased to listen to the little boy's enthusiasm. But Mrs. Greengrass never missed an opportunity to instill a hope him that it would be a girl, nor did she ever forget to tell him that his parents were a little late in having another child.

Astoria was perfectly healthy during the first and second trimesters. Both she and Draco were eager to have the child so that Scorpius would see what having a sibling was like (and also to get Mrs. Greengrass to stop being picky). However, in Astoria's seventh month of pregnancy once again, she needed to be suddenly hospitalized. It was late one night, Draco holding her close with his hands feeling her swelling stomach, when she reached over to him abruptly. Something was constricting her airways. She was literally suffocating. Draco did everything he could—including screaming for Scorpius to firecall a doctor, while he attempted CPR upon his wife. When nothing was working, Draco used Side-Along-Apparition to transport all of them to St. Mungo's immediately.

The wait was long and agonizing. Draco paced in the waiting room, Scorpius sat in a chair and hugged Scruffy (whom he'd brought along). Two hours. Once the time passed, a healer came out and informed the pair that Astoria would need to spend the night in order for the mediwizards to do their jobs sufficiently. Draco only felt worse. He took Scorpius's tiny hand and Apparated them home. They didn't say much—there wasn't anything to really converse about. Both were extremely distraught. Once in the little cottage, Draco led his son into the nursery. He pulled the covers up to his chin, kissing his cheek, and asking if he was alright. Scorpius nodded. He never let go of that green Pygmy Puff.

Draco went back to his empty bedchambers. It pained him to imagine sleeping alone—something he hadn't done since before Scorpius was born. He flicked his wand, immediately being magically changed into his pajamas again. Draco lay in the lonely bed. No amount of covers made him feel warm. Nothing was softer than Astoria's skin. Without realizing exactly what he was doing, Draco began to cry. Why did this always happen to them during such happy times? How come Astoria couldn't have something come easy for once in her life? Why couldn't Draco just _get away_ from Dark magic?

"Daddy,"

At first, he'd thought he'd imagined it. Scorpius never ever entered their bedroom—what would make him start now, especially since his mother was gone? Draco turned over and sat up. Scorpius was standing beside the bed in his little nightshirt, still clutching Scruffy close. He looked sad, scared. Draco rubbed his face on his sleeve. "Darling?" he asked, trying not to sound strained. "What's the matter?"

"Can I sleep here?" Scorpius asked innocently. This was new—he never asked to be in the same bed as his parents. He always tried to make them proud of his bravery in sleeping alone. But something was different. Draco nodded silently, moving over to allow his tiny son to slip in, murmuring a small "Thank you," Several silent minutes passed. Scruffy crawled to the pillow and balled up near their heads. Draco wrapped his arms around his son. Scorpius wriggled until he found his father's hand, taking it, and whispered, "It's alright, Daddy—I was crying too." Tears stung Draco's eyes. He hugged Scorpius. "I'm just so worried about her….why does she never get to be happy?!" he sobbed. Scorpius squeezed his hand. "The bad magic makes her sick, Daddy."

"But we've done everything we could—even the doctor said this time would be easier!"

"The curse is just getting stronger."

He was right. Little Scorpius was so right. Draco hugged him even closer, knowing that the Dark magic was getting frustrated at Astoria's resilience; it was strengthening itself to fight her. Scorpius sniffled a bit, burying his face into the pillow so he wouldn't be seen crying. "I just want the curse to go away…" he whimpered. Draco felt his whole body lurch. Scorpius had never been this upset about anything. And this was all Draco's fault. If he hadn't gotten her pregnant, then she wouldn't be in St. Mungo's. Why couldn't he just do anything right? He kissed the top of Scorpius's head. "Me too, my darling."

In the morning, Draco brought Scorpius back to the hospital, where they were greeted with bad news. Astoria had lost the baby. Scorpius wore an expression of nothing but horror—he wouldn't speak to anyone. Lucius and Narcissa arrived to console the family first, just minutes before the Greengrasses arrived. Daphne even brought her fiancé Theodore Nott with her. Mrs. Greengrass was sobbing hysterically before going into Astoria's room—she was about to enter dramatically. As soon her she put her hand on the doorknob, Lucius grabbed her shoulder. "You say one hurtful or disappointed thing to my daughter-in-law, and I'll personally ensure that you never see her or her son ever again, do you understand?" he growled, knowing that Mrs. Greengrass would express her letdown at losing what could've been her first granddaughter. The woman stopped her sobbing to nod fearfully.

When the Greengrass family exited the room, they were silent. Bazel drew in a deep breath to say something, but changed his mind and instead pursed his lips. Lucius and Narcissa went in next. They exited just as solemn. It made Draco feel a bit better that his father had fought for Astoria like that; he knew that over the years, Lucius had accepted her, but seeing him act so nobly on her behalf was different, a good different. Draco brought Scorpius in with him.

Astoria was sitting up in bed, staring out the window. She was pale. Dead pale. Draco sat with her, taking her hand lovingly. "My love," he whispered. She didn't move. "…T-This is all my fault…" he broke down into sobs. Scorpius let silent tears fall from behind him. Astoria turned her head slightly to look at them. An incredibly long pause ensued.

"…I-I'm…so sorry…"

Both boys glanced up through tearful eyes. She had apologized. Why? She hadn't done anything wrong. Draco squeezed her hand. "No. No, darling…please don't blame yourself. No, none of it was your—"

"I disappointed y-you…"

"No, Astoria. It was beyond your control. It honestly was. You were doing so well and even the doctor noticed. He said you were ready! The only thing that happened was—"

"The curse got stronger on its own."

The adults whipped their heads over to Scorpius, who was the owner of the last spoken sentence. Neither expected him to just come out and say that—he'd been so quiet all this time. Draco nodded. "Yes…yes, Scorpius that's right….see, Astoria? Even S-Scorpius saw it….it's not your fault…." With that, Scorpius crawled onto the bed beside his mother, curling up close to her as he held his father's hand. "It's trying to defeat you, Mummy." he whispered. "But you're stronger than it." Astoria couldn't help but feel shocked at her son's honesty. They'd never really spoken about her curse around him, especially not to him, because they didn't want him worrying about her condition constantly. Yet somehow he understood it. He knew. Astoria reached down and stroked his silky hair. "I-I won't let it…defeat me, baby." she whispered. The door opened, and both sets of families entered together. They all wanted to give Astoria every ounce of love they could. Narcissa noted to her son how the girl was reacting to Scorpius—her expressed tenderness—and told him that when she and Lucius went in, Astoria wasn't even speaking a word to anyone. Draco then realized that it was up to him and his own son to heal her again, except this time it would be easier, because Scorpius finally understood.


	18. Chapter 18

**Ok, this is the _last chapter_! Thank you for reading this, and I honestly hope that you liked it. I decided that I will make a sequel that details Scorpius's life at Hogwarts and his home-dealings during that time. It won't be posted for a day or two, but if you see something that has my name on it, that's probably it. I'll also denote it in the summary. You guys are seriously great and thank you again for reading this! :)**

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The Hogwarts Express hissed steam behind the small Malfoy family as they walked through Platform 9 ¾. Draco carried Scorpius's trunk, Astoria clutched his tiny hand in hers. Hundreds of families marched past, hurrying around, all trying to get their children aboard the train while saying meaningful goodbyes as well. Draco was proud of his wife—she hadn't cried yet. But he knew they were in for it the moment Scorpius would set foot on the train. They all stopped walking. He set the trunk onto the ground, turning to face his son. Scorpius suddenly looked so tiny compared to everything around them; all the other children, the train itself, the entire building. Astoria knelt down before him. "Do you want us to carry your trunk onto the train for you?" she asked, brushing her hand over his silky blonde hair. He shook his head. "No, thank you. I can handle it." To demonstrate, he lifted the handle of his trunk. After only a few seconds, his little arm faltered and it crashed onto the ground. She glanced at her husband. "Really, I'm fine. Once I get it going I won't drop it again. I'll pick a seat close to the entrance." Scorpius assured. Draco gave his son a nod.

It was hard for him—being out in public where so many of his peers were surrounding him with their own children. He still had his insecurities no matter how far behind the past was. As long as he just didn't see _them_…. The train whistled a short blast. Draco checked his watch. "Ten til eleven. You'd better get going if you want a good seat." he said, the weight of his words beginning to take a toll on his voice. He was really going to miss his little son. Astoria's eyes brimmed with restrained tears. Scorpius looked at her, attempting a watery smile. Draco knew that this was going to be a really emotional moment for him and his family, considering Scorpius was all that they had, and now he was leaving them. He looked back towards the train.

Instantly, his breath caught.

Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter himself were all staring at him in a group. It felt like all of the air had left his lungs, like the atmosphere was standing still. Images raced back to him: Potter refusing to shake his hand at the Sorting, Weasley's slugeating spell backfiring on the Quidditch field, Potter pointing a wand at him in the boys' bathroom at a time where he was most vulnerable, Granger on the floor beneath his aunt….Everything ached on him. His head spun. But Potter was looking at him differently—as if his very gaze was asking Draco if he was ready to be friends yet. Granger was also staring in a nonjudgmental way. Ron Weasley was the only one that still had an expression of disgust as he looked onto his former enemy, but Draco saw Granger elbow him in the ribs. He looked straight at Potter, deciding this would be the moment that could possibly change things around. He gave a curt nod. He could see from his expression that he understood that Draco was accepting his request for a new beginning from so many years ago. Draco turned away from them to hide the tears that were brimming in his eyes.

Astoria pulled Scorpius into a hug. "Will you write to me, Mummy?" he asked quietly. She nodded vigorously. "Of course we will, darling. Of course." Scorpius pondered this for a moment, then stood back to look her in the eye. "I'm going to write to you every morning, alright? That way we don't fall out of touch. I'll send a letter by owl at breakfast so it'll get to you quickly." he decided. Draco nodded. His son certainly was one to set a plan for himself. Astoria wiped her eyes. Scorpius turned to his father. "Goodbye, Daddy—oops, I mean, _Father_." He had taken to calling Draco a more formal name because he wanted to act older and more reverent. Draco shook his hand first, but broke down and ended up hugging him entirely. "I love you," he whispered into the boy's ear. He reached over and pulled Astoria into their hug too. "Malfoys stick together," he murmured to them through tears. Astoria nodded, squeezing his hand against the pain in her heart. Scorpius agreed with him, promising he'd uphold their standards. The train whistle blew again.

Ron Weasley crossed his arms over his chest. "So that's little Scorpius." he commented. Hermione sighed. "Look at that poor girl. She's so incredibly ill, you can just tell." she sadly said.

"I'd be sick too if I had to marry _him_,"

"Ron…"

"The kid too—looks just like Malfoy when we started. Except this newer model's smaller. Malfoy was more twerpy."

"Ron, please. That family's been through a lot. I heard that his wife was in St. Mungo's last year for several weeks."

"Probably because she's married to Malfoy."

"_Ron!_"

"So what? I was in St. Mungo's last year too!"

"Yeah, because you just _couldn't_ assemble the backyard fence 'the Muggle way' like I'd said. Magically driving a stake into your foot accidentally does not compare with what she endured to get into St. Mungo's!"

Harry sighed; even though they were married, his friends were still the same. "What's wrong with her anyway?" he asked aloud. "She had a Dark curse set upon her by a Death Eater during the war. It's permanent, and it acts as a disease that feeds upon sadness and despair. One little slip of an emotion and she could be bedridden for days." Hermione answered, still as smart as ever. Ron let out a surprised whistle. "Wonder if that's changed him at all." Harry said.

"It looks like it. See how he's always holding her hand or touching her in some way? I'll bet he's trying to keep her stable since this is a sad day for her. You can tell by the look in his eyes—I think he really loves her. His son too; I've never seen him cry like that."

"I've only seen it once. When he was losing his mind and failing at being a Death Eater in the school bathroom. Other than that, he's held a pretty brave face all this time."

"She's got such a fragile beauty about her. I sent her a letter one day asking if baby Scorpius would like to have a playdate with Hugo and Rose, but she never answered. I kept trying. Never heard back once."

"She's probably been busy running a household and being so sick."

"Come on you two," Ron called. "The kids are getting on the train!"

Scorpius used all of his strength to haul his trunk up and drag it towards the Hogwarts Express with him. He turned and waved one more time at his parents. They waved back, tears soaking their faces as they kept an arm around each other. Scorpius stepped onboard. He told himself that he'd push through the weight and get a good seat, make lots of friends; but the trunk became too heavy in no time. He ended up sliding into a completely empty car after a stewardess put his trunk away for him. He sank down onto the seat, knowing that there would be almost no chance of anyone coming to sit with him. He was one of the last ones to board, after all. Scorpius looked out the window. He watched as his mother leaned over and became engulfed in a big, meaningful hug by his father. The two held onto each other tightly. The train lurched forward.

Scorpius stared out the window until his parents became an inscrutable black dot far behind him at the station. Once he could no longer see them, his heart felt heavy. He knew he would miss them terribly. Suddenly, the compartment door swung open. Scorpius whipped his head over. A black-haired boy stood there, staring at him. He entered without hesitation. "Are you in here all by yourself?" he asked. Scorpius nodded. He barely had any contact with other children in his life, and communication was already proving to be a fault in him. The boy smiled. "Why don't you come sit with us? It's just me, my brother, and my cousin. And a few of our friends, but they'll like you too." Scorpius shyly looked up. He didn't want to intrude or feel pitied, and he certainly didn't want to have to deal with that wretchedly heavy trunk again. "M-My things…" he began nervously. "It's alright. You can leave them in here. We're just down the hall a bit. I'm sure no one will take anything. And if they do…I'll rough 'em up!" the boy laughed, shaking his fists in the air. Scorpius giggled too. He stood up to follow this new boy wherever he'd lead him. "I'm Albus, by the way. Albus Severus Potter." the dark-haired boy said. "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy," the fair boy answered. The two briefly shook hands.

Once inside the new compartment, Albus introduced his friend. "This here is my big brother, James; that's my cousin, Rose; those two are twins, Lorcan and Lysander Scamander—their mum is Luna Lovegood, ever heard of her? Everyone, this is Scorpius Malfoy." The children greeted him welcomingly, all except for Rose, who simply picked at her fingernails quietly. Albus asked her what the problem was. She shrugged, finally saying, "My Daddy says I'm not supposed to be friends with you." Scorpius was taken aback. How could someone not like him when they hadn't even met him? James snorted. "Yeah but your mum said it was alright. Remember? She told your dad to stop acting like a jerk." he reminded. Rose pondered this, then nodded. "I suppose so. Alright, we can be friends. But I'm still supposed to beat you at every test." she informed. Scorpius gave a small smile. "You're on," he replied. Everyone rearranged themselves so their new friend could sit beside them. They talked, they laughed, and they ate snacks from the trolley. It was a very successful beginning—and one that their parents would have never believed to even be possible, back when they were on the same train just nineteen years previous.


End file.
